Questions regarding TVs equiped with FreeSat HD & FreeView HD tuners

zbluebirdz

There are a few TVs that are equiped with FreeView HD and FreeSat HDtuners.
Eg LG 7700 , Samsung C7700/D8000 , Pansonic ??? ...

Questions for the owners of the aforementioned type of TVs (or anybody with experience of having/using one):

Is it easy to switch between channels?
- i.e. simply pushing the up/down channel buttons. Or do you have to tell the TV to change "source"?

Can you rearrange the order of the channels from different sources?

Would these type of TVs work ok with Irish DTT & FreeSat?

Can you record channels? & watch another?

Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?

PS If you do reply, could you mention which tv you're referring to ...

pipkato

I own an LG 7700 and can confirm that it works with the Irish DTT (Three Rock) and with Freesat.

Switching channels is not an issue, and, of course, it has analogue TV as well.

The biggest downside I've found with these Freesat/DTT TVs is that the Programme Guide can be difficult to use. It opens and immediately begins downloading updated listings, and while this is happening is unresponsive to the remote. It only takes a short while, but it's annoying in use.

Don't know anything about the recording issue, and haven't done much about moving channels about.


Bottom line is that these combo TVs are terrific for free-to-air TV in Ireland.

galtee boy

pipkato wrote: »

I own an LG 7700 and can confirm that it works with the Irish DTT (Three Rock) and with Freesat.

Switching channels is not an issue, and, of course, it has analogue TV as well.

The biggest downside I've found with these Freesat/DTT TVs is that the Programme Guide can be difficult to use. It opens and immediately begins downloading updated listings, and while this is happening is unresponsive to the remote. It only takes a short while, but it's annoying in use.

Don't know anything about the recording issue, and haven't done much about moving channels about.


Bottom line is that these combo TVs are terrific for free-to-air TV in Ireland.

Can you confirm that you must use two separate epg's ? as in you cannot have Saorview channels and Freesat channels on the one epg ?

pipkato

Yes. Two separate EPGs.

Machinehead

For what it's worth the Panny D25 just needs one tap of a button to switch between DTT, DVB-S & AV inputs. The FTA satellite & DTT channels can be re-positioned on the relevant EPG, a separate guide for DTT & DVB-S, although the latter only gives "now & next" info as my TV doesn't allow/have a UK setting in the options menu to get 7 day EPG, other brands do allow this. The TV does all required except MHEG5 digital text service. It cannot record by itself but I can utilise the TV's EPG to trigger timer record to an external 2TB USB HDD which allows me to record any DVB transmissions but not AV (ie from Sky box). As it only has a single MPEG4 tuner I cannot record one DVB channel while recording another but I can watch Sky while recording onto the USB HDD.
Hope that covers what you need to know, is it worth the extra money?.......
I felt it would have been pointless having a 42" full HD TV, only to have Blu-ray as my only source of HD input (I don't have Sky HD) so the plus side of having BBC HD, BBC One HD, ITV HD, Channel 4 HD, NHK World & soon RTÉ TWO HD made it worth buying a TV with both DTT & DVB-S tuners built in:)

STB

You wont get your hands on a LG Lf7700. They were discontinued some time ago. You may get your hands on a Sony which were also discontinued. Stay AWAY from Panasonic as Combo's go - that is my view.

The new Samsung Freesat TVs are out they also have a Freeview HD tuner and have a fairly hot spec.

They have 3 ranges in order of price/spec - D8000, D7000 & D6400.

http://www.3dsamsung.net/

BionicRasher

PANASONIC TX-L42D25L is the model I have recently purchased

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Is it easy to switch between channels?
- i.e. simply pushing the up/down channel buttons. Or do you have to tell the TV to change "source"?

You need to hit 1 button to switch between Freesat and Saorview channels but after that its just regular up and down between stuff

Can you rearrange the order of the channels from different sources?

Yes -this is very handy as there is lots of crap Freesat stuff and for example repeats of stuff like Ch4 on loads of different channels so you can rearrange it all to your liking

Would these type of TVs work ok with Irish DTT & FreeSat?

Yes - works a treat with both. However no MHEG 5 which means no fancy text and just Now and Next on Freesat stations but full 7 day EPG on Saorview

Can you record channels? & watch another?

Yes and No
I can record/pause etc to an attached Harddrive from either Freesat or Saorview but not watch one and record another at the same time. I can however switch to my attached PC to watch stuff from. I have Sky Player set up on Windows Media Centre and can watch that while the TV records other stuff. I am looking at ordering an extra DVB-S and DVB-T USB Sticks so I can do kind of Sky +/Tivo watch one record another type stuff through the PC.

Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?

Yes if you can get it at the right price. The Panasonic stuff from 2010 has dropped drastically in price - spotted a 42 inch 3D Plasma in Harveys for 699. To be honest the Panasonic are missing a few things like MHEG5 but for a 42 inch TV, fully HD with Internet connectivity and I believe the best picture quality of all the TVs I am really happy with my set.
The BBC/ITV/Ch4 HD stuff is amazing and with my collection of movies / music hooked up via PC and the added bonus of the price being affordable I think I have gotten a great deal

ShaneOC

I have one of the Sony sets with Freeview and FreeSat HD. Can't remember the exact model, will check later.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Is it easy to switch between channels?
- i.e. simply pushing the up/down channel buttons. Or do you have to tell the TV to change "source"?

Pretty simple to swap between inputs, just press the home key and select either DTT or Satellite (or analog or external input)

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Can you rearrange the order of the channels from different sources?

Yes for DTT no for freesat - but the freesat order is pretty logical anyway.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Would these type of TVs work ok with Irish DTT & FreeSat?

Working fine with Irish DTT - fancy teletext and all! Full 7 day EPG for DTT and also for FreeSat.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Can you record channels? & watch another?

No.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?

I believe my model was an end of line one so it was very reasonable. Have Sky+ HD already but quite handy to be able to watch either DTT or FreeSat if two recordings are taking place. Also handy to have access to the odd channel that can't be tuned in on the Sky+ box e.g. Channel 4 HD.

steveq

I have a Panasonic which has a tuner for Irish DTT and a Freesat tuner.

You ask:
"Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?"

It most definitely is worth it if you are not planning to use UPC or SKY.
You will pay a bit extra for the TV initially but that additional cost will pay for itself in the first year if you factor in the savings on cable/satellite services.

Mister Gooey

I have a Samsung D8000 with the saorview and freesat tuners. I got the dish and aerial installed last Friday and I will be cancelling my UPC TV later this week (have to keep their broadband so am wiating for their best deal from their customer loyalty dept.). Free TV is the only way to go!

steveq wrote: »

I have a Panasonic which has a tuner for Irish DTT and a Freesat tuner.

You ask:
"Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?"

It most definitely is worth it if you are not planning to use UPC or SKY.
You will pay a bit extra for the TV initially but that additional cost will pay for itself in the first year if you factor in the savings on cable/satellite services.

rlogue

Do any of these TVs allow seamless integration between Satellite and Terrestrial? It would be great if such a TV would allow complete customisation of the channel list along the same lines as a combo satellite/DTT box.

homer911

On the LG LF7700...

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Is it easy to switch between channels?
- i.e. simply pushing the up/down channel buttons. Or do you have to tell the TV to change "source"?

Yes - Up and down button, also when typing a channel number you get a "recently used" channel list

There is a Digital/Analogue button and a Freesat/FTA button - you can toggle these or toggle between them

Can you rearrange the order of the channels from different sources?

No - its really annoying. you also cant delete freesat channels

Would these type of TVs work ok with Irish DTT & FreeSat?

One button press to flick between the two, MHEG5 works fine on Saorview

Can you record channels? & watch another?

No, I dont think any combo TV supports this, despite having the independent tuners. I think the LG particularly suffers from either lack of memory or a slow processor - noticeable when viewing the 7day epg as a previous poster commented

Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?

For me it was as I wanted to wall mount it and not have any trailing cables or additional boxes (my power and aerial/dish sockets are directly behind the TV)

championc

I have a Panny G20B which does both FreeviewHD and FreesatHD AND MHEG5 and 7 day EPG on BOTH Tuners. They can still be bought and can recommend them to anyone. TV also has an Ethernet socket so has various widgets and can link to a Media Server and play Movies being streamed. Best investment ever.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

There are a few TVs that are equiped with FreeView HD and FreeSat HDtuners.
Eg LG 7700 , Samsung C7700/D8000 , Pansonic ??? ...

Is it easy to switch between channels?
- i.e. simply pushing the up/down channel buttons. Or do you have to tell the TV to change "source"?

Push the TV button and select between Freesat, DVB, Analog or Other (Sat Channels you can program not listed in the Freesat bouquet i.e. Sky News)

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Can you rearrange the order of the channels from different sources?

Just the DVB Channels - so if they scan as 800's, they can be re-numbered as 1, 2, 3 etc. (especially useful if you manage to get NI or Wales Freeview now or after DSO)

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Would these type of TVs work ok with Irish DTT & FreeSat?

Working with both. And I get BBC One HD and BBC HD and ITV HD's on FreesatHD and then get all Irish DTT channels inc RTE2 HD ......... AND all MHEG5 Text and both with 7 day EPG

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Can you record channels? & watch another?

You can record one program while watching a program previously recorded. Connect up any USB Hard Disk up to 2tb. I have 500gb and have recorded plenty of BBC HD stuff and have buckets of space. Otherwise, you can watch anything via an AV socket so if you have a Tuner in a DVD Recorder, an old Sky Box with a link too or whatever.

zbluebirdz wrote: »

Is it worth the additional cost of having these tuners built into the TVs?

Being a non UPC or Sky subscriber, I certainly think so. Just one remote doing everything - including the recording to the USB Hard Disk. I also feel I'm somewhat future proofed (in as far as that can be)

steveq

I think Championc made a great point about a single remote. You may have to press the 'TV' button to switch between DVB and Freesat but everything is on just one remote.

If you have a DVD player / recorder you can probably control that from the TV remote as well.

championc

steveq wrote: »

I think Championc made a great point about a single remote. You may have to press the 'TV' button to switch between DVB and Freesat but everything is on just one remote.

If you have a DVD player / recorder you can probably control that from the TV remote as well.

Spot on, and with more channels coming along with +1 (hr) versions, it reduces the number of possibilities of clashing programmes. It does indeed control my Panny DVD.

Just to clarify something, you can timer set up to 16 programs or events, and these can be mixed between Freesat, DVB or Analog so the events can jump back and forth.

So if anyone is thinking along the lines of one of these types of setups, I think the Panny G20B is the last model still available. All other manufacturers have ceased making theirs. The trend seems to be that, in the UK, you either get Freeview OR Freesat, but not both so they don't really see as much demand anymore. No manufacturer ever made a Combo DVR nor ever will.

The TX-L37G20B (and other sizes) is still available through Amazon. I'm not sure if they deliver to Ireland - maybe LCD's only. The TX-L's are LCD's and the TX-P's are plasma.

cutedarcy

My 10 year old tv stopped working yesterday so time for a new one.
Ok, so I'm a newbie here but have been reading up the boards and gathering info and have a general idea of what I'm looking for.
I currently have an aerial on the roof and receive 8 channels with pretty good reception.
I am looking for a 37 inch tv that will receive saorview which I understand requires mpeg4
I would also like the new teletext service which I understand requires mheg5
I also understand that from approx December 2012, I may be able to receive freeview channels from the Uk if the signal strength is strong enough to reach Meath. I gather that if I cannot receive freeview at this time, I will need to get a satellite dish for freesat to get Uk channels.
I gather that it is possible to purchase receviers to provide me with all these channels but I would obviously prefer if there was a tv available to do this so I do not need extra set top boxes and remote controls.

So, from the tv's listed above, I see there are mixed reviews on the panasonic, the lg is no longer available and the samsung ones all seem to be 3d and quite expensive and I can't seem to find info on the sony tv's.

Can anyone advise on how likely I am to receive freeview HD in Navan, Meath from December 2012?
Should I just buy a freeview HD tv and hope for the best in 18 months time? Then if I can't get freeview, just buy the freesat dish & receiver.
Or should I futureproof it and buy the combi tv?

Many thanks

championc

Hey Cutedarcy

You probably are thinking exactly along the lines that I was when I bought my Panny G20B. I was researching the Panny from July 2010 until Nov when the Option Flag for scanning new channels was changed to 0x16 and other owners of the G20B finally confirmed that the TV was scanning no problem. The problem Panny's seem to be the IRISH specific models and obviously any UK Freeview non-HD models. I (and many others on here) can guarantee you that the UK G20B is the business and will do exactly what you want. I have the 37" myself - TX-L37G20B. Amazon still seem to have them. I have no idea if they ship these to Ireland but if you had a friend in NI then .....

Now for receiving Freeview via the Aerial. I live in Ballinteer, Sth Dublin and I have a Triax 100 Group A Aerial on the roof pointing at Divis in Belfast and I can currently receive the NI Analog channels. While Digital will only use a fraction of the power of Analog, the coverage will be better so if you can receive the Analog currently, you should "very likely" receive the digital Freeview and FreeviewHD on the aerial. In areas of the UK where the Analog has been turned off already, people who had iffy Analog reception all seem to have ended up with good Digital signals.

However, this is a huge amount of hassle for what ..... to "maybe" get channels via an aerial which are all delivered here and now via satellite. I have a feeling that 95% of the channels on FreeviewHD are now on FreesatHD. This is also why I believe that the combo sets were phased out by manufacturers - in the UK you either go Aerial or Dish but there's little or no point in having both.

So with this TV, you simply connect up a dish straight onto the TV and away you go. Am I correct in saying that you've no intention of ever subscribing to Sky ? There is still a fair number of channels in the FreesatHD group and this tv will alllow you to add channels manually which are FTA, like SkyNews. You should be able to pick up a dish and LNB on adverts pretty cheaply.

So in my opinion, this TV should future proof you for a further 10 years or so. So really, it all depends on whether you are prepared to pay for the extra functionality and whether you can wait for delivery if buying from Amazon or the likes.

Hope this helps

greenmonsoon

Hey championc,

I just got delivered a Panny G20 - UK model. I have read this thread and others but I'm still quite unclear on a number of things related to this topic and I have some (possibly basic, apologies if they are) questions that I'd be very much obliged if you and some of the other users could help me with.

I currently pay for UPC standard analogue cable TV channels and I would like to get rid of it.

I have connected up the TV to the UPC analogue service via the coax cable but the TV doesn't seem to be able to tune in more than 3 analogue stations - is this expected and I should really hook the TV up to a rabbit ears aerial or a proper external aerial to be able to tune in analogue and most importantly digital terrestrial channels?

I have been told of incompatibility between the G20 - UK model and the Irish digital terrestrial channels (I'm assuming RTE), something related to MPEG 2 and MPEG 4. Is this true and does it mean that even with a proper aerial I will not be able to get those?

I have heard of Saorview, and I know it requires an aerial. How does it work and what does it provide?

I also have the UK freesat option - if I get my hands on a dish and I connect it up to the TV I should be able to view all of the channels broadcast there, which are all of the various UK ones minus the Irish channels (RTE, TV3), correct?

Thanks and apologies again if the questions are too basic.

championc

greenmonsoon wrote: »

I currently pay for UPC standard analogue cable TV channels and I would like to get rid of it.

Excellent start

greenmonsoon wrote: »

I have connected up the TV to the UPC analogue service via the coax cable but the TV doesn't seem to be able to tune in more than 3 analogue stations - is this expected and I should really hook the TV up to a rabbit ears aerial or a proper external aerial to be able to tune in analogue and most importantly digital terrestrial channels?

The Analog channels on UPC are in VHF whereas Analog and Digital Terrestrial from a rabbits ears uses UHF. Depending on where you live, you may well get all of the Irish Digital channels with one rather than needing an external aerial. Most people in the Greater Dublin Area should be able to tune into Three Rock.

greenmonsoon wrote: »

I have been told of incompatibility between the G20 - UK model and the Irish digital terrestrial channels (I'm assuming RTE), something related to MPEG 2 and MPEG 4. Is this true and does it mean that even with a proper aerial I will not be able to get those?

Completely untrue as far as the G20B is concerned since the TV has a FreeviewHD tuner whose spec covers MPEG2 and MPEG4. Once you connect a rabbits ears, you'll be able to happily confirm this on here !!

greenmonsoon wrote: »

I have heard of Saorview, and I know it requires an aerial. How does it work and what does it provide?

Saorview = Digital Terrestrial so it's RTE1 & 2, TV3, TG4, 3e and RTE News Now

greenmonsoon wrote: »

I also have the UK freesat option - if I get my hands on a dish and I connect it up to the TV I should be able to view all of the channels broadcast there, which are all of the various UK ones minus the Irish channels (RTE, TV3), correct?

Correct, you can view all the UK channels. Basically, pretend you are in the UK - your TV will know no different. When setting up Freesat, choose your postcode as SW1 1AA. This will set London as your home BBC and ITV regions but will make sure to tune in the BBC and ITV HD channels. If you selected an NI postcode, I don't believe these would be listed in your EPG

So hopefully a rabbits ears or a coat hanger will get you your first lot of digital channels.

greenmonsoon

championc, thanks very much for the speedy and clear reply and for the tips.

Off to Argos this morning to get a rabbit ears, will do some testin and post the results!

greenmonsoon

championc, I've just connected a rabbit ears to the TV and hey presto RTE1 & 2, TV3, TG4, 3e and RTE News have appeared. Signal may not be strong but vision is extremely clear, goodbye UPC. Next step is Freesat.

Thanks so much!:D

championc

One for the Panasonic knockers out there. This is the ONLY model that I would ever recommend to anyone to get. The G20B is great to receive both Saorview and FTA satellite channels (and BTW, you don't specifically have to point a dish at Astra 28.2e). Having combo sets now suits the Irish market but since this is so small, there's no way they would ever produce sets for us (especially since we are not "allowed" to have Freesat).

In the UK, it would seem that you go for Aerial or Satellite but not both so can't see this model being available much longer. I think the G20B was due to cease production at the end of last year so maybe stocks with Amazon are just the tail end.

BionicRasher

championc wrote: »

There is still a fair number of channels in the FreesatHD group and this tv will alllow you to add channels manually which are FTA, like SkyNews.

Where could we get a list of extra channels that can be added? Would love to be able to add stuff like Sky News. I too can do a manual scan to add more channels but a lot of info on Google searches seems to conflict and become mega confusing

I have the PANASONIC TX-L42D25L really happy with it even without the MHEG5 fancy teletext. So I would also recommend this TV if you cant get your hands on a G20B (and I couldn't get it in the greater Cork area - could have got it in from the UK but the hassle and fact that I couldn't have brought it back to my local bricks and mortar shop in case of faults put me off - in fact the price I got it for locally was cheaper that getting it from the UK also)

championc

tui0hcg wrote: »

Where could we get a list of extra channels that can be added? Would love to be able to add stuff like Sky News. I too can do a manual scan to add more channels but a lot of info on Google searches seems to conflict and become mega confusing

Possibly get yourself an issue of What Satellite or trawl the internet. Just add the Frequency, Polorization and Symbol Rate. So it doesn't matter what satellite you have a dish pointing at so long as you have this info. Ideal if you are adding a Monoblok to your current Dish / LNB

homer911

Should have also mentioned that Freesat TVs are UK TVs and therefore when picking up Saorview, the EPG is not picking showing Summer Time - it is still on GMT as Saorview is (at least last time I checked) broadcasting an Irish time zone, not a UK time zone - apparently this is something saorview could fix if they wanted to - there was a discussion on this some time after the clocks changed...

STB

homer911 wrote: »

Should have also mentioned that Freesat TVs are UK TVs and therefore when picking up Saorview, the EPG is not picking showing Summer Time - it is still on GMT as Saorview is (at least last time I checked) broadcasting an Irish time zone, not a UK time zone - apparently this is something saorview could fix if they wanted to - there was a discussion on this some time after the clocks changed...

No. This is not true.

The reason it happens is because you bought a UK compliant TV not a Saorview one. It is one of the disadvantages of buying Freeview HD certified equipment and guessing that it is compatible with Saorview. Technically, it isnt. Not all Freeview HD TVs allow you to change the summer hours option. And mostly always "B" models which is UK certified specific and as such expects a UK broadcast flag or else it does weird and not so wonderful things.

By the way the g20B is discontinued, not that it would matter as no customer care would have been forthcoming from Panasonic anyhow.

For this reason (and that it is a repeat question) I have started a latest TV bargains thread listing some of the cheap saorview compatible (but not certfied) TVs. I have also listed the sort of best prices for certified range.

homer911

STB wrote: »

No. This is not true.

The reason it happens is because you bought a UK compliant TV not a Saorview one.

Is there such thing as a Saorview compliant Freesat TV?

Gerry Wicklow

tui0hcg wrote: »

Where could we get a list of extra channels that can be added?

http://en.kingofsat.net/pos-28.2E.php

Lists all available Sat channels and is always bang up to date with changes.

Sam Russell

homer911 wrote: »

Is there such thing as a Saorview compliant Freesat TV?

That is a contradiction. To be Freesat compliant, it must be for the UK market, or it does not get the licence. To be Saorview certified, a large wedge of cash has to be handed over to the Swedes, so no company will go down that road, as they would lose the licence for Freesat if the set was certified for the Irish market. Now Sony did a good job on the **V5810, but it is not fully compliant.

championc

STB wrote: »

........... as no customer care would have been forthcoming from Panasonic anyhow.

Not exactly true. All equipment is going to be covered for hardware failure across Europe. However, I think what you're eluding to here is that they will not support the TV for receiving or displaying something for which the device was not intended - which is a totally different thing. And if a device could be fixed with what would seem like a simple firmware upgrade to enable it to scan channels to then work in another market, that can only be put down to a missed opportunity by Panasonic, and nothing more.

The G20B was made exclusively for the UK market and will only be repaired if a fault develops relating to the reception of UK Freeview or Freesat signals. For me, it was a fortuitous bonus that it worked with Saorview. I did my research in advance, I waited until the Option Flag was changed on 3 Nov 2010 and then went and bought it in the full knowledge that someday, it could well fail to receive some new feature which will be rolled out here.

STB

championc wrote: »

Not exactly true. All equipment is going to be covered for hardware failure across Europe. However, I think what you're eluding to here is that they will not support the TV for receiving or displaying something for which the device was not intended - which is a totally different thing. And if a device could be fixed with what would seem like a simple firmware upgrade to enable it to scan channels to then work in another market, that can only be put down to a missed opportunity by Panasonic, and nothing more.

The G20B was made exclusively for the UK market and will only be repaired if a fault develops relating to the reception of UK Freeview or Freesat signals. For me, it was a fortuitous bonus that it worked with Saorview. I did my research in advance, I waited until the Option Flag was changed on 3 Nov 2010 and then went and bought it in the full knowledge that someday, it could well fail to receive some new feature which will be rolled out here.

Like I said no support will be forthcoming as Panasonic stance is that it is not aimed at Ireland and shouldnt be sold here.

Outside this 20B range we all know that the previous Panasonic Combo Freesat Ranges have been deliberately crippled. Again their interpretation of the UK Dbook was diffrent to LG LF7700 and Sony Freesat Combo ranges which work perfectly with Irish DTT. Both are discontinued.

Only 1 Freesat product will be on the market at anyone time.

greenmonsoon

STB wrote: »

Like I said no support will be forthcoming as Panasonic stance is that it is not aimed at Ireland and shouldnt be sold here.

Outside this 20B range we all know that the previous Panasonic Combo Freesat Ranges have been deliberately crippled. Again their interpretation of the UK Dbook was diffrent to LG LF7700 and Sony Freesat Combo ranges which work perfectly with Irish DTT. Both are discontinued.

Only 1 Freesat product will be on the market at anyone time.

Hi there, just before I finally retire UPC analogue service, can I confirm with you guys that I will always be able to view Irish DTT channels going forward from my Panny G20 UK model as perfectly as I am able to do at the moment - if not what what might potentially change?

championc

My understanding is that the services currently distributed via Saorview have been implemented in full. I believe there are provisions for other services (maybe like interactive stuff or PPV) which obviously haven't been implemented and so the reaction of the G20B to these would of course be unknown.

greenmonsoon

championc wrote: »

My understanding is that the services currently distributed via Saorview have been implemented in full. I believe there are provisions for other services (maybe like interactive stuff or PPV) which obviously haven't been implemented and so the reaction of the G20B to these would of course be unknown.

Thanks championc, I'm only interested in what is viewable now - if I'm still going to be able to view the Irish DTT channels that I can currently view via my G20 that's good enough for me to cancel UPC.

championc

I have an old mini PC linked up to the PC Video port on the TV so if I want to see Sky Football or Golf, I can find a "source" on the internet !!!

I certainly hope I get 10+ years from this set because it does everything and very much doubt if there'll be many more like it in the future

Apogee

I was in Harvey Norman recently admiring the picture quality on this 200Hz 55" Samsung TV when I noticed the Freesat logo in the top corner. Sure enough, despite the slimline profile, there are male f-connectors on the back.

Sam Russell

Apogee wrote: »

I was in Harvey Norman recently admiring the picture quality on this 200Hz 55" Samsung TV when I noticed the Freesat logo in the top corner. Sure enough, despite the slimline profile, there are male f-connectors on the back.

Did you notice the price in the bottom right hand corner?

Apogee

Sam Russell wrote: »

Did you notice the price in the bottom right hand corner?

I've got a terrible dose of dyscalculia at the moment. My doctor tells me If I eat enough prunes, it'll hopefully pass.

Gerry Wicklow

Apogee wrote: »

If I eat enough prunes, it'll hopefully pass.

Eat enough prunes and EVERYTHING will pass:D

PressTheButton

Apogee wrote: »

I've got a terrible dose of dyscalculia at the moment. My doctor tells me If I eat enough prunes, it'll hopefully pass.

tDCS might improve things. Consult your doctor first!

championc

Sam Russell wrote: »

Did you notice the price in the bottom right hand corner?

At that price, I'd want it to last 30 years - and it to have an onboard beer tap with an infinite supply of Magners.

Don't tell me, it has an onboard Internet Browser - I have a Mini PC that costs about €100 and will never have any issues with versions of Flash etc... And yes, it's configured as a media server too

greenmonsoon

Hi championc, quick question on G20 features hope you can help me with.

Have you attached an external HD to the TV set to record programmes? I heard about incompatibility with certain drives, what's your experience - is it true that some HDD don't work with the TV and if so what make/model would work in your opinion?
Also I'm thinking of getting an ethernet port near the TV so that I can connect it to the internet - is it worth it?

thanks, G

championc

greenmonsoon wrote: »

Hi championc, quick question on G20 features hope you can help me with.

Have you attached an external HD to the TV set to record programmes? I heard about incompatibility with certain drives, what's your experience - is it true that some HDD don't work with the TV and if so what make/model would work in your opinion?
Also I'm thinking of getting an ethernet port near the TV so that I can connect it to the internet - is it worth it?

thanks, G

I seems that ANY USB HDD can work - up to 1TB only. The only drawback is that it gets formatted for use with the TV and get matched to the TV. So you can't connect it back into a laptop with re-formatting it and you also cannot connect it to a mates' G20B to watch previously recorded content (Panny's way to adhere to copyright)

Ethernet works well and there's plenty of widgets. Youtube upscales well onto my 37". The other usage would be if you put a Media Server on your home network, then you could stream Movies etc from it. The other benefit of an Ethernet connection is for UK residents to use BBC iPlayer. You can set a proxy IP Address but there's no ability to set a Username or Password if you were to purchase a legit UK proxy account for the purpose. Maybe someone else knows how this could be achieved.


C

greenmonsoon

championc wrote: »

I seems that ANY USB HDD can work - up to 1TB only. The only drawback is that it gets formatted for use with the TV and get matched to the TV. So you can't connect it back into a laptop with re-formatting it and you also cannot connect it to a mates' G20B to watch previously recorded content (Panny's way to adhere to copyright)

Ethernet works well and there's plenty of widgets. Youtube upscales well onto my 37". The other usage would be if you put a Media Server on your home network, then you could stream Movies etc from it. The other benefit of an Ethernet connection is for UK residents to use BBC iPlayer. You can set a proxy IP Address but there's no ability to set a Username or Password if you were to purchase a legit UK proxy account for the purpose. Maybe someone else knows how this could be achieved.


C

Thanks for your reply championc. Is this 3.5" of would also any 2.5" HDD up to 1Tb work?
Ref the media server, could you give me some more details of features/benefits? Is it best to connect the media server via the network of via HDMI?
thanks. G

JerryQ

Hi Championc; you can use a proxy thru a VPN. You'll need a router that supports VPN - so your TV is connected to the router, and it has the username/password etc to route traffic thru your UK VPN account. Off-the-shelf routers that can do this can be dear; I've use a cheap router that I flashed with a new OS - the VPN supporting router firmwares can be downloaded fror free from www.dd-wrt.com. Then just choose a router that is supported by dd-wrt (they have a huge database). I bought the Linksys WRT54GL years ago for about e30 from amazon - works way better with the dd-wrt firmware.
Hope this helps,
Jerry

championc

greenmonsoon wrote: »

Thanks for your reply championc. Is this 3.5" of would also any 2.5" HDD up to 1Tb work?
Ref the media server, could you give me some more details of features/benefits? Is it best to connect the media server via the network of via HDMI?
thanks. G

The TV won't be intelligent enough to know whether the HDD is 2.5 or 3.5. All it's interested in is the size and so long as it's connected via USB. It also won't care as to whether the drive is USB powered or whether it has an additional power source.

As for the Media Server, I use a PC I got and run Win 7 on it but you can use any old crap and run Linux, Ubuntu or anything else. Media Boxes are starting to get popular and are generally used to store films or music which can be streamed to IP enabled devices around the home. I'm sure some are now bundling these boxes with iPhone and Android apps. I have my PC linked with a cable to the TV to simply run a browser on the screen if I want to maybe watch Footy being streamed via the Internet but this is then just using the TV as a giant monitor - this is not a media server.

radio g

going to upgrade my tv so what 32 inch led tv will work uk freeview + saorview and has freesat what model do i need to get.

championc

The cheapest is possibly the Panny TX-L32G20B. It looks like there may still be some left through the UK - try Amazon. I thought it was discontinued at the end of last year. It's LCD, not LED. I think all other manufacturers have stopped making Combos because since they are only "officially" made for the UK market, it's accepted that consumers will either go with an aerial OR a dish but certainly not both because there is little to be gained by having both.

Freesat was sold somewhat in the same way as Saorsat - to reach the areas that cannot be reached by aerials.

Obviously, in Ireland (and possibly other European markets), the setup would allow for reception of two totally different sets of channels which makes it a very worthwhile buy for those of us uninterested in Sky.


C

fatphil

As for recording from satellite while watching terrestrial is that still the case that there aren't any sets that do this?

homer911 wrote: »

On the LG LF7700...

As for recording from satellite while watching terrestrial:

No, I dont think any combo TV supports this, despite having the independent tuners. I think the LG particularly suffers from either lack of memory or a slow processor - noticeable when viewing the 7day epg as a previous poster commented



For me it was as I wanted to wall mount it and not have any trailing cables or additional boxes (my power and aerial/dish sockets are directly behind the TV)

I'm looking at buying the Samsung UE40D6500 which has both types of tuner, but I've not heard a definitive yes or no
But maybe it's a hardware limitation on all these multi-tuner tvs? Shame if that's really the case. I do'nt want toà fork out for a model like that if it doesn't do what I need.

I want to avoid having multiple boxes and cables too. I'm in the same situation. Anyone got any experience with the Samsung multi-tuner LED models D6500 etc C7000 etc...?

Cheers,
Phil

championc

You could always try downloading the user manual and read up on that very point. It was certainly clear from the Panny manual as to what was possible and not.

It sounds like boxes are the ones which can work better with dual tuners - maybe even allowing something to be recorded from both sources simultaneously.

Combo's are great for watching all sorts but not if you're a big recorder type viewer.


C

fatphil

homer911 wrote: »

On the LG LF7700...



Yes - Up and down button, also when typing a channel number you get a "recently used" channel list

There is a Digital/Analogue button and a Freesat/FTA button - you can toggle these or toggle between them



No - its really annoying. you also cant delete freesat channels



One button press to flick between the two, MHEG5 works fine on Saorview



No, I dont think any combo TV supports this, despite having the independent tuners. I think the LG particularly suffers from either lack of memory or a slow processor - noticeable when viewing the 7day epg as a previous poster commented



For me it was as I wanted to wall mount it and not have any trailing cables or additional boxes (my power and aerial/dish sockets are directly behind the TV)

championc wrote: »

You could always try downloading the user manual and read up on that very point. It was certainly clear from the Panny manual as to what was possible and not.

It sounds like boxes are the ones which can work better with dual tuners - maybe even allowing something to be recorded from both sources simultaneously.

Combo's are great for watching all sorts but not if you're a big recorder type viewer.


C

I downloaded the Samsung manual but the timeshift/recording section only says: "Recorded TV for LED 6100 series, LED 6300 series and above:
If you switch to external input mode during recording, the recording will continue but the (REC) button will be disabled."

But what's the definition of an external input? I'm guessing it's not one of the antennas (antennae?) but more likely the input for the Blu Ray etc.