Freeview on DVB TV?
 

I've gotten myself a new 32" telly to keep me entertained while on my laptop in the backroom, and also to use as a monitor (which it does amazingly well).
Now I get BBC1,2,ITV1,Ch4 perfectly running a lead from the aerial socket in my bedroom.
However, I can't pick up any digital channels at all.
I've tried with a portable aerial which a mate used to use with his freeview, and still no joy.
I am right in thinking that a DVB telly can recieve freeview and I don't need another box right?

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yup, but you also need to make sure that the aerial socket is recieving it's signal from the local TV transmitter.

With you being in Milton Keynes, it is a possibility that you are actually getting an analogue feed from Virgin, which don't carry the Freeview signals

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Have you checked your house number and postcode?

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/

(Choose "I am in the aerial installation trade" for more detailed information on predicted coverage)

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Cheers for that guys, yes getting it from the antenna on the roof, ours is an older house so not linked to the Virgin analogue system (thankfully).
Apparently my transmitter is Sandy Heath (38Km away) which figures as I'm getting Anglia TV.
I should also have a good chance of getting DTV, but no matter what I do with the portable digital aerial the telly just will not find any signal.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

You have got it on the Digital TV channel and not the TV channel havnt you. Try the sources menu

You might be on analogue and need to switch to digital mode

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

If you are on Sandy Heath then your house most likely has an old Band A aerial but you would need a wideband aerial to receive Freeview.

Unless the indoor aerial is very good and amplified, you are unlikely to get a Freeview signal on it either (can you get an analogue sign through it?)

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

How strict is this? Is it are dependent (as in distance from the transmitter?)
My aerial's been up there for 13 years so likely an old one (i.e. not wideband?) but I can get all the freeview channels great.
I'm about 30 miles from Winter Hill transmitter.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

That would be because Winter Hill analogue and digital both use Band C/D aerials.
For Sandy Heath, analogue was in Band A but the digital signal is not.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

:tu:

---------- Post added at 22:17 ---------- Previous post was at 21:45 ----------

Sorry Xaccers - wasn't a hijack - thought there might have been some similarities with our aerial setups. Seems not.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

No problem at all, this is really interesting :D
If the house wasn't rented, or rather if the landlord wasn't trying to sell up, I'd replace the aerial.
Oh well, looks like just the 4 channels for me then.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Come 2010, when the Anglia region switches over entirely to digital, you'll probably get a descent signal. Until then, DTV is only available at a low power from a few main transmitters.

You might also want to try the digital reception predictor part way down this page:
http://www.wolfbane.com/articles/tvr.htm

It will give you the option of several transmitters and you can compare it with analogue reception.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Hmm, tempted to get this http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?...21121&doy=29m4 and take it with me when the house is finally sold (if it's ever sold).

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Do you have Freeview built in to your new TV?

If not how are you accessing Freeview?

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yes...

Aerial is on a pole on the chimney. Had a look up there from the back garden, thought about installing a new wideband one, came to mysenses quick sharp :D

Will live with the 4 normal ones (oh and pester housemate to sort out Sky so I can watch it via broadband).

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

I'm just surprised that you only have the four basic channels.

I have an old JVC CRT IDTV with Freeview built in. When I turn the TV on ( without it being connected to Virgin) I just get the main 5 terrestrial channels from the Winter Hill transmitter.

However, by pressing a button on my remote handset I can switch from ordinary terrestrial TV to Freeview, which gives me access to a lot more.

Might be worth inspecting the handbook which came with your TV.If it works it could make life a bit more bearable while you wait for your housemate to sort out Sky.

Hope this helps.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Info on Sandy Hill regarding FreeView signals
http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=TL204494

Other TX's here
http://www.ukfree.tv/txlist.php

I live in reading area and get signal from crystal palace, according to those maps i'm twice as far from my TX as you are from yours, and both are tx'ing same power. get near perfect signal here on presumably 1/2 your signal level.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Winter Hill and Crystal Palace are two of the "lucky" transmitters that broadcast the Freeview signal in band with the analogue signal (i.e. an old banded aerial that used to pick up analogue will pick up digital fine).

Sandy Heath is "unlucky" in that the digital signal is not in the same band as the analogue signal but spread over lots of bands. Therefore, to receive Freeview you need to replace the old Band A aerial with a bigger wideband aerial with more gain (to compensate for it being wideband).

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yup, and although I am confident enough to replace the aerial, it's a long way up (or rather, the ground is a long way down), and as it's not my property I wouldn't want to put my foot through the roof tiles or fall to my death. Knowing my luck if I did manage to replace it, we'd get a phone call from the estate agents as soon as my feet were back on the ground to say they've sold the house and we have to move out.
Hmm, could always mount it in the attic...

A 71 element 10-14dB gain antenna should be ok in the loft right?

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Mmmm... the roof may well reduce any benefit of your high gain antenna.

Loads of info here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/info/index.shtml
Check out Television Aerials - lots of good, basic advice.

It looks like you're right on the edge of DTV reception from Sandy Heath so you'll need all the help you can get. You may be able to get more gain if you change to a band-E aerial but this won't receive the analogue signals well. After switchover you'll need a new aerial but, hopefully, you can use a local relay so won't need as much gain.

It could be that your existing aerial already points at this relay and not Sandy Heath. Look at the plastic plug on the end of your existing aerial. The colour will tell you what band it is. If it's black (band-W) or brown (band-E) then it may just need realignment.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Will give it a go and see what happens.
Worst case, I fall through the master bedroom ceiling and break a leg.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

If you are already receiving analogue signals for the channels then surely your TV should convert them.

I suspect that you have either not accessed the Freeview card in your TV or that you may need to get the card to do a channel signal search for your area so that your TV can tune itself in.

Another possibility is that somehow your Freeview card has become temporarily disabled. Occasionally I have to turn my TV off as leaving it in standby for long periods seems to render the internal Freeview card inactive. Turning the TV off reboots the card and reactivates Freeview.

If the Freeview card no longer works then getting a cheap Freeview box is cheaper, safer and more cost-effective because if you have to move you can take it with you..unlike the aerial.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

The freeview signal is being broadcast on a wavelength that my aerial cannot recieve, a different one to the analogue signal.
Consiquently I need a new aerial, one which can recieve both the analogue wavelength and the digital one.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Sorry, I was trying to keep down the cost by suggesting that you convert the existing analogue signals that you are receiving.

It does depend on how long you expect to stay at your present location.

A good wideband aerial like you've mentioned should get both analogue and digital and if you are close to a number of transmitters you may get out-of-area channels as well. My 43-element wideband aerial can take signals from Winter Hill and from Moel-Y-Parc in Wales.

I live in South Manchester. A neighbour has a 50-element aerial and gets signals from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter near Birmingham so your 71-element aerial should reach some distance.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yeah it would have been great if I could use the current aerial, but if it won't pick up the signal, it's gonna be a new one.

Thanks for letting me know how well the 50 element ones work :D

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

No problem. Glad to help.

As a matter of interest have you accessed the Freeview Card in your TV?

My sister has Freeview but was missing channels because she did not do the channel search.

I did the search for her and found a lot of extra channels which were being received via analogue signals but her TV was not tuned in to recognise them.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yes, when the TV is first turned on, it tries to find the DTV signals, then asks if you want to search for analogue (which resulted in the 4 normal channels).
The DTV search comes back with no signal found and to check aerial connection, which figures with the aerial not being able to pick up DTV.
To force a search you press DTV, then menu and do it from there.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Interesting. I suppose every TV is different.

I have a button on my remote which toggles between the terrestrial channels and the Freeview DTV channels.

When I am in DTV mode I press my menu button which "amazingly" brings up the menu from which I can access the channel search.

From what you say, it does look as if your transmitter could be a relay station which is only relaying basic channels. Channel 5 is usually the missing channel. On Winter Hill its transmission strength is the lowest.

BTW, what TV model do you have if you don't mind me asking?

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Just a Technika from Tesco, I'm only interested in DTV simply because it has it built in and being in the upstairs back room (used as a TV and monitor for my laptop) it's too far from the Sky box.
Like yours, I've got the button on the remote to toggle between the two, and through the menu system in DTV mode I can start the channel search.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

In Cambridge, we get all 4 analogue channels from Sandy Heath fairly badly. However Channel 5 is not transmitted towards Cambridge from Sandy due to interference problems so there is a local transmitter that just transmits that and the picture is even worse!

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Check which channels the analogue signals are on. This will tell you which transmitter/relay you are receiving.

Details of all the Sandy Heath relays here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/trans...sandyhth.shtml

And those from Oxford:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/trans...v_oxford.shtml

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Yes, I got my IDTV in the event that I had to give up the cable and satellite which I have now.

My TV starts up in normal terrestrial mode and if I want to do anything with Freeview I have to press the toggle button.

I have my aerial plugged into my VCR so that it bypasses the Virgin & Sky boxes, which may or may not throughput the signals.

I have all available channels as favourites so that I can see all the channels and can access them directly both by number or by using the channel change button.

Does your TV list your favourites..few though they are?

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

No idea as it's not picking up any DTV channels so I've not had a chance to play around with things.

Works well as a monitor via HDMI. I can turn off the other inputs so the AV button now just switches between aerial and HDMI-1, making it easy to flip between the two while I'm waiting to re-spawn in a game.
Once I get my PC built I'll have that connected via HDMI-2 so must make a mental note to re-activate it!

Will have to see what mode the telly comes on in once I've got DTV working.
Unlike the other TV's in the house, the power button on the remote does actually turn the telly on, so it could be that it remembers what it was last on.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Neat set-up. Unfortunately, no HDMI on my TV but it can cope with 1080i
and even "ordinary" TV looks really good. Freeview picture quality is excellent.

As for the power button,it's quite possible that your TV remembers what was last on because if I activate Freeview and then put the TV on standby it's still on Freeview when I start up ( so long as I don't turn the power off as this wipes the memory).

Might be worth checking your favourites list in both analogue mode and in Freeview mode just to see what is being listed.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

For a £350 TV, I'm very impressed. Ok comparing it with the £500+ TV's in the shop you could see a difference, but the analogue image is the best I've seen (and I'm only sitting about 2 feet from it), and playing COD4 in 1080i is great fun :D

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

It's amazing what they can do with analogue signals these days.

Your picture should be even better with digital Freeview.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Woohoo!
Got the aerial resting on the empty header tank in the attic, tacked the lead to the top of the door frames running it to the back room and got digital TV! :D

Thanks everyone for all the information, it's been really interesting.

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

Nice one, Xaccers. Enjoy!!

Just don't move home!! LOL!!

Re: Freeview on DVB TV?
 

That's the beauty, I can take it with me :D