Purchasing TV from UK - Saorview enabled?

r3nu4l

I intend to purchase a TV as a present for someone shortly. I live in the UK, they live in Ireland. My own Samsung Smart TV appears to have an option for tuning channels whether I'm in the UK or Ireland which (I think means) that it has a Freeview and Saorview tuner.

How can I tell if the TV I intend to buy will be Saorview enabled?

Corkbah

r3nu4l wrote: »

I intend to purchase a TV as a present for someone shortly. I live in the UK, they live in Ireland. My own Samsung Smart TV appears to have an option for tuning channels whether I'm in the UK or Ireland which (I think means) that it has a Freeview and Saorview tuner.

How can I tell if the TV I intend to buy will be Saorview enabled?

most if not all smart TV's will be Saorview enabled - if they have a built in tuner.

the best thing to look for is a smart tv with freesat tuner - this allows them to use the tuner to pick up freest channels (free) - you could always order it from an Irish shop or one in Belfast.

Richersounds are on boards and are in Belfast and deliver to anywhere in the Republic of Ireland as well as up north …they do a great deal for boardsies.

I got a 40inch F8000 from them for about €200 cheaper than shops in Ireland (it would have been cheaper to buy it in UK - but that website would only deliver to uk only….and Richersounds said they wouldn't price match)

The Cush

r3nu4l wrote: »

How can I tell if the TV I intend to buy will be Saorview enabled?

- Check it against the list of Saorview approved TVs https://www.saorview.ie/get-saorview/saorview-approved-product-listings/
- If it's not on the list check the specs for MPEG-4, H.264 AVC video decoding
- A FreeviewHD approved TV has the required MPEG-4 decoder and should be able to display the Saorview channels

TVs from the major manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung, Philips, LG, Toshiba should have no problems with Saorview reception.

watty

Given the poor reliability of modern products and the Statutory 2 years Retail Warranty (Sale of Goods Act) it makes best sense to order it from a dealer local to the recipients and give them the receipt!

Faulty PSUs wiping out Radio Reception, even to VHF is getting more common too, or subtle "bugs" in software that are not fixed. Both those MUST be repaired, or TV replaced or Refund if within 2 years under SOGA.

You'll have fun with Shipping under SOGA.

This is why I will not buy large or heavy items online or from certain International retailers in Ireland that refuse to deal with faulty goods in store. Unless there is no alternative at all.

NIMAN

Check www.saorview.ie and the recommended manufacturers list, that is the only guaranteed way that you will know for sure if the model number you intend to buy is Saorview approved.

steveon

Buying a tv from the uk for use in Ireland is madness, buy locally and at least then if there's a problem you can get it sorted easily, buy it in Uk and something goes wrong you will have to ship it back....costing you more aggro and cost in the long run.

Stick with the mainstream brands as all these cheap brands are rubbish with poor quality pictures and back up service.

r3nu4l

I think I'll order from Ireland so Thanks all. Some great info and links.
The person I'm ordering for won't need a Smart TV or a super-slim LED so I reckon something like this TV would be an excellent choice. Not sure I'll get it cheaper anywhere else, I'll have to do some research.

Corkbah

r3nu4l wrote: »

I think I'll order from Ireland so Thanks all. Some great info and links.
The person I'm ordering for won't need a Smart TV or a super-slim LED so I reckon something like this TV would be an excellent choice. Not sure I'll get it cheaper anywhere else, I'll have to do some research.

Richersounds in Belfast will be able to do you the best bargain (in my opinion) - they are on Boards and give boardsies a discount (and will price match or beat any shop in the republic of Ireland) ….jebus I sound like an advert for them !!

(in reality I'm just a happy customer)

watty

Super Slim = No useful audio
Smart TV = More expensive and awkward and less smart than cheap TV + HDMI + netbook/notebook/phone/tablet/laptop. Many need €200+ phones/tablets as controllers anyway.

r3nu4l

watty wrote: »

Super Slim = No useful audio
Smart TV = More expensive and awkward and less smart than cheap TV + HDMI + netbook/notebook/phone/tablet/laptop. Many need €200+ phones/tablets as controllers anyway.

The person I'm buying for wouldn't need a Smart TV as it would be far too confusing for them.

I myself have a super-slim SMART TV and to be honest am very happy with it. I know the audiophiles and technophiles snub their noses at them but my TV suits my needs perfectly. I don't need crystal-clear Dolby Digital Surround sound DTS ubertechnowoofers or anything like that and my Smart TV gives me access to all the players (BBC, ITV, 4OD, Demand 5, YouTube, Lovefilm and Netflix) without any additional boxes or cables. Nice and tidy, the way I want it.

If someone wants to fill their room with box upon box and cable after cable I'm fine with that, it's just not for me

watty

What's the remote like to use? The Remote "problem" is why some require a tablet or Android phone as remote as otherwise the TV is very limited in "smartness".

Sky of course tried a remote with a QWERTY keyboard built in, as have some other "smart" TVs.

Not criticising you, just curious.

My son's BD player has all those features but the remote is awkward so he has a long HDMI cable and his laptop.

r3nu4l

watty wrote: »

What's the remote like to use? The Remote "problem" is why some require a tablet or Android phone as remote as otherwise the TV is very limited in "smartness".

Sky of course tried a remote with a QWERTY keyboard built in, as have some other "smart" TVs.

Not criticising you, just curious.

My son's BD player has all those features but the remote is awkward so he has a long HDMI cable and his laptop.

I've tried a few things while exploring the TV (Samsung):

The supplied remote.
I find it easy to navigate around the SMART Apps and some are designed well enough to allow very simple use with the remote, e.g. the BBC iPlayer app.
I find the YouTube app to be a little less user friendly especially as the on-screen keyboard is in alphabetical order and not QWERTY. As a long-time QWERTY, I find it less intuitive. The biggest problem I have with the remote is that the infra-red beam angles seem to be quite narrow, compared to my old Panasonic Viera LCD TV.

Forget about using the browser with the remote. That said, the browser itself is rubbish anyway, allowing all sorts of pop-ups...

The iPad remote App
I found this very useful and can't complain in any way about it. Love it.

Wireless keyboard and Mouse.
Stick my micro-USB Bluetooth dongle in and bang, the wireless keyboard and mouse works fantastically (Logitech).

Sam Russell

I have a Samsung smart TV and got two remotes with it. The 'intelligent' one eats batteries and I cannot get it to work properly. I also got a few extra bits with batteries in them that I have not bothered with as I do not know what theyt are supposed to do. It connects to the wifi without problems so that is good.

It also has 3D but I cannot see 3D because of my eyes.

However it has an amazing picture and it gets Freesat and Saorview brilliantly.

The internet connection is useless compared to my tablet, most of the apps could be useful but not for me.

However, I think the TV works well for me, so I am happy. If I was a lot younger, I might bother learning how to exploit it more, but there you are.

NIMAN

If you aren't looking for superslim or Smart, then there are plenty of good prices out there, as most people now want Smart and Slim.

r3nu4l

NIMAN wrote: »

If you aren't looking for superslim or Smart, then there are plenty of good prices out there, as most people now want Smart and Slim.

The one I linked above is neither super-slim nor smart

watty

r3nu4l wrote: »

I've tried a few things while exploring the TV (Samsung):

The supplied remote.
I find it easy to navigate around the SMART Apps and some are designed well enough to allow very simple use with the remote, e.g. the BBC iPlayer app.
I find the YouTube app to be a little less user friendly especially as the on-screen keyboard is in alphabetical order and not QWERTY. As a long-time QWERTY, I find it less intuitive. The biggest problem I have with the remote is that the infra-red beam angles seem to be quite narrow, compared to my old Panasonic Viera LCD TV.

Forget about using the browser with the remote. That said, the browser itself is rubbish anyway, allowing all sorts of pop-ups...

The iPad remote App
I found this very useful and can't complain in any way about it. Love it.

Wireless keyboard and Mouse.
Stick my micro-USB Bluetooth dongle in and bang, the wireless keyboard and mouse works fantastically (Logitech).

Thanks. That confirms what I believe, you need a regular mouse and keyboard (so a netbook + dumb TV is cheaper!), or you need to have a suitable smartphone /Tablet (so a netbook + dumb TV is cheaper!) or else functionality is very poor.

Anyone wanting a smart TV should have a tablet/pad/smart phone and check it has an app for their model, or they would be better with saving €300 to €800 and getting an unsmart TV and using an HDMI cable with phone, tablet, netbook etc that can do all the "smart" stuff with No-Script or AdBlocker etc.

Next year some Smart TVs will be hacked by "drive by" malware too. Not so easy to upgrade as a Netbook/Tablet. Most TV makers lose interest in Firmware support after a year.

r3nu4l

watty wrote: »

Thanks. That confirms what I believe, you need a regular mouse and keyboard (so a netbook + dumb TV is cheaper!), or you need to have a suitable smartphone /Tablet (so a netbook + dumb TV is cheaper!) or else functionality is very poor.

Anyone wanting a smart TV should have a tablet/pad/smart phone and check it has an app for their model, or they would be better with saving €300 to €800 and getting an unsmart TV and using an HDMI cable with phone, tablet, netbook etc that can do all the "smart" stuff with No-Script or AdBlocker etc.

Next year some Smart TVs will be hacked by "drive by" malware too. Not so easy to upgrade as a Netbook/Tablet. Most TV makers lose interest in Firmware support after a year.

To be honest, it's only easier if you really, really want to use a keyboard and mouse. For example the YouTube app on my TV won't allow the keyboard+mouse so the tablet or remote is necessary anyway.

Also, again, if you're the type of person who doesn't mind more cables and boxes hanging out of, or under your TV then the cheapo laptop/netbook is absolutely fine (but won't solve all your problems) but if you're like me and think that sort of clutter is abhorrent then the Smart TV is the way to go.

I specifically went Smart so that I wouldn't have to plug a laptop into the TV to watch BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, Demand 5, YouTube, Netflix, Lovefilm and 4OD. Swings and roundabouts and all depends on your needs, likes and the appeal or lack of appeal for aesthetics.

I think Smart TV's have loads of room for improvement. I really think that pushing the SMART button should invoke an Android OS. Not sure Google would license that but that would be awesome.

watty

Many TVs that are not even "smart" run Linux. They just need better remote and GUI design. Android is only a Java clone and Google GUI on Linux. It wouldn't help.

You only need Google approval to use Google Play store / Google Apps. Android is free apart from some MS royalties.

At the moment the €200 to €1000 "premium" for a Smart TV is crazy considering the only extra stuff usually is $10 worth of network interface etc. The OS, CPU and RAM is already there on most.