Advice on SAORVIEW and Freeview channels

Sofiztikated

Hi All.

I'm trying to find out some information regarding SAORVIEW and Freeview channels, in the spillover area.

My mother lives on the Monaghan/Fermanagh border, and in advance of the switchoff date, she picked up an LG 32LS3400.

I tuned it in for her yesterday, and it managed to pick up the SAORVIEW channels, no problem. It also picked up a few Freeview channels, namely BBC4, BBC Parliment, and the BBC radio stations. 17 TV stations, and 21 radio stations in total.

Is there anything I can do to pick up the rest of the BBC/ITV/Channel 4 stations for her?

Does the aerial need adjusting/replacing? Surely a freeview box shouldn't be necessary?

It's quite difficult explaining why this needs to be done to a 70 odd year old woman, when previously she had her BBC/ITV/Channel 4 stations with no problems (albeit they did get fuzzy in the last few months.)

Peter Rhea

Digital switchover starts in the north next Wednesday. The first channels available at full power will be BBC standard definition. The rest (including the Freeview HD lineup) will follow on the 24th, same day we switch over in ROI.

Try rescanning on those dates.

Sofiztikated

Cheers.

Will give it a go then.

Many thanks.

reslfj

Sofiztikated wrote: »

My mother lives on the Monaghan/Fermanagh border, and in advance of the switchoff date, she picked up an LG 32LS3400.

Is this LG TV set FreeviewHD approved or just just Freeview .

This modelrange has DVB-T2 as one tuner option.

Sofiztikated wrote: »

... It also picked up a few Freeview channels, namely BBC4, BBC Parliment, ....

Is there anything I can do to pick up the rest of the BBC/ITV/Channel 4 stations for her? [/quote]
Better wait intil October 10, where the PSB-1/BBCA multiplex with the BBC SD channels are at full power.
Then (Oct. 10) check the UHF channel use by any BBC channel. This will indicate from which transmitter the TV set is receiving - likely Brougher Mountain.
You may also check the direction her UK-aerial points.

Sofiztikated wrote: »

Does the aerial need adjusting/replacing? Surely a freeview box shouldn't be necessary?....
when previously she had her BBC/ITV/Channel 4 stations with no problems (albeit they did get fuzzy in the last few months.)

The aerial should not need to be changed , unless the fuzzyness is due to old age or water in the coaxcable or it being mechanical broken.

She may need a FreeviewHD box, if there is no DVB-T2 tuner in her version af the TV set. One of the three UK/NI public service muxes is using the DVB-T2 signal - currently for HD versions of BBC1, BBC2, UTV1, C4 plus one more channel.

Lars

Sofiztikated

Thanks Lars.

I think it's just DVB-T, not T2. AFAIK, it's Freeview on the box, not Freeview HD.

If not, she's going to have a fit. The shop that sold it to her as able to get the BBC channels straight out of the box.

Peter Rhea

LG tvs (recent ones anyway) with Freeview HD (DVB-T2) capability have a 'T' suffix to the model no. They tend to be more expensive than the equivalent DVB-T sets, as they form the top spec. 'smart tv' range.

You don't need DVB-T2, as the Freeview HD channels are mostly (soon will all be) simulcast material.

There's the question of future services using T2, or some of the commercial channels changing over, sooner rather than later, but it's nothing I'd get too worried about for a while yet. It's a good future-proofing strategy though, to have it onboard.

reslfj

Peter Rhea wrote: »

LG tvs (recent ones anyway) with Freeview HD (DVB-T2) capability have a 'T' suffix to the model no. They tend to be more expensive than the equivalent DVB-T sets.

Must be LG UK/ROI "Pricing policy" - the tuner chips has within a very few €'s the same price.

You don't need DVB-T2, as the Freeview HD channels are mostly (soon will all be) simulcast material.
... but it's nothing I'd get too worried about for a while yet. It's a good future-proofing strategy though, to have it onboard. [/QUOTE]

We dont know what will happen to the 5th HD slot on the NI-PSB-3 mux yet. But the current 4 channels will continue to be simulcasted in SD quality.

I agree - nothing to be too worried about when Saorview is available - but at some NI locations where only the NImux is availbale, DVB-T2 is very much needed for RTÉ1-SD, RTÉ1-SD and TG4-SD.

Don't buy new if not needed, but if you buy a new TV set - FreeviewHD should be a must.

Lars

Peter Rhea

reslfj wrote: »

Must be LG UK/ROI "Pricing policy" - the tuner chips has within a very few €'s the same price.

Think I got that wrong anyway, as Freeview HD seems to be limited to top spec. models with no DVB-T only equivalent.

Ronnie Raygun

The older LK/LV T/U ranges would have more in common, apart from the T2 tuner, if I'm not mistaken. Not sure how they were priced when they were current models.

Sofiztikated

An update: Rescanned today. BBC channels all picked up fine. Channel 4 and ITV still analogue.

bryangiggsy

Rescanned in Drogheda yesterday and picked up all the BBC channels in perfect picture quality. Lookin forward to rescannin on the 24th now and getting ITV Channel 4 and the rest