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Post by Spruance on Feb 5, 2010 16:13:40 GMT
Up until now we have been ticking over nicely with three conventional CRT TVs each with it's own Freeview box and all hardwired from a signal booster in the loft which in turn connects to to the Freeview-spec aerial on the roof. That was until a few weeks ago when the main TV in the living room which we have had for only sixteen years i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/grin.gif began to show a definite green tinge and slightly indistinct picture which it seems is the first sign of a failing tube.  So yesterday we went down to the local department store and ordered a new 32" Full HD Panasonic LCD with Freeview built in and also, intriguingly, with an inbuilt Freesat HD tuner. The problem is that whilst I like to think that I am fairly good with new technology, the latest TV advances seems to have completely escaped me.  So the question is does anyone have Freesat already or indeed an HD digital TV? We are not in a Virgin Cable area and would resent paying a monthly fee to Sky (at the moment) as there is no discount available for sleeping through TV shows. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/grin.gifThis leaves Freesat which requires only a Freesat receiver (already with the new set) and a Freesat satellite dish. I know that the dish can be used for more than one set, but all the satellite dishes I have seen around and about seem to be fixed to the house wall, rather than the chimney stack as is customary with aerials, so would that mean that the existing aerial to TV cable runs and TV aerial points around the house couldn't be used? Obviously I need to put these questions to a qualified installer but I am just wondering if Freesat as a service is worth having. The main advantage as I see it is that from 2011 when our region's analogue service is switched off, we are more than likely going to lose ITV4 which we watch quite a lot along with some other stations too. Whereas everything we have now will still be available on Freesat, plus some additional ones. Also to get any of the new HD channels on Freeview would require an additional Freeview+HD set top box, even with a full HD TV set, but the built-in Freesat tuner is already enabled for HD reception. The new set isn't coming until towards the end of next week but I wanted to do the groundwork beforehand if at all possible so any advice would be gratefully received. Also does anyone happen to know if conventional analogue VCRs will work with digital TVs? Failing this would I need an HDD recorder and would that also need a Freesat receiver/tuner? ...Bl@@dy new technology...!  " Do you want Woofers & Tweeters with that Granddad?"!  |
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Post by JennyWrenn on Feb 5, 2010 18:13:54 GMT
Got an HD TV Spru - what did you want to know ;D
It was a plug in to go
Also got an "old" TV in the bedroom with a digi box that took ages to retune but I perservered and it works ok now but I almost gave up on it
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Post by Jilly on Feb 5, 2010 21:53:20 GMT
As it happens Spruance, OH is a qualified installer, in fact that is his business, this reply comes from him not me.
"We have both Freesat and an HD TV. Our Freesat is fed from the same sat dish as our Sky, as the signals are beamed from the same satellites. There are currently just a couple of HD channels on Freesat, but more are supposed to be coming.
Sat dishes are usually mounted on the wall rather than the stack as Sky engineers are not allowed to get onto roofs (health & safety), and most of the dishes you see are for Sky.
Technically, you aren't supposed to mount a sat dish above the ridge line of a roof, under planning considerations. But if your stack is sturdy enough, and you have clear line of sight to the satellite
position at 28 degrees east; most independent (non-sky) installers will fit it there. A diplexer could then be fitted to combine the sat signals with the TV signals from your aerial, but most installers would prefer to run a new cable in, as digital signals require a double screen cable to minimize the effects of interference. I guess your existing aerial and cable are quite old, installed when double screened cable was considered a bit expensive for general domestic installations, so your existing cable would probably not be man enough to carry the TV and SAT signals with out problems.
If you are going to have a Freesat dish install done, I would suggest getting one that's a member of the CAI (Confederation of Aerial Industries) - you may be quoted a slightly higher price than a
non-member installer, but you are assured that all materials used will be to The CAI's standard, plus you get an additional guarantee on the work from the CAI as well.
As to losing some channels on Freeview after digital switchover, I'm not sure you will. The analogue channels will be lost, but the digital
channels will be rearranged on to the remaining digital multiplexes. You will only lose channels if you TV transmitter doesn't carry all the
digital multiplexes, if you get your signal from a repeater transmitter
for example, and you can't pick up a signal from one of the main transmitters.
Check out this website to see what channels you are likely to get after switchover
www.digitaluk.co.uk/home#
To get the best from this site, tick the box labelled 'I am in the aerial installation trade' under where you put in you post code.
This will tell you the most likely transmitter for your address, plus all the digital multiplexes(MUX) you are likely to get.
ITV4 is currently on MUX D, but after switchover it will be on COM6, a mux that's only going to be available from a main transmitter - so may require a new aerial if you are not on it already.
Analogue VCRs should work with Digital TV, as long as your TV has a suitable output (either a coaxial connection or a SCART lead) to connect to the VCR.
This would be the same for an HDD recorder - however I don't now of any that have freesat built in. You are more likely to find things the other way round - you get a freesat/freeview receiver with a hard drive built in, which surprisingly, is not quite the same thing! " Jillyx |
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Post by Spruance on Feb 5, 2010 23:58:06 GMT
As it happens Spruance, OH is a qualified installer, in fact that is his business, this reply comes from him not me. Jillyx Perfect! Just the sort of info I was looking for. Thanks Jilly and please thank your OH very much as well for such a thorough explanation.  Yes the current aerial points were installed in November 1993 by a qualified TV aerial installer before we moved in when making a mess wasn't a consideration. So they probably don't meet digital TV specs since the like wasn't even thought of then. My main concern was losing favourite TV channels so if there is a possibility that this won't happen maybe it would be as well to wait until next year. The other two sets are still going strong even though one is twenty years old (good old JVC) - but will be replaced by LCDs or the equivalent when they too expire, so there is no reall pressure on at the moment. |
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Post by Tig on Feb 6, 2010 0:08:54 GMT
Brilliant response Jilly! (don't tell OH though, his head might swell ;D) We have HD TV's with freeview inbuilt and we have hard-disk recorders. We also have Freesat and two separate dishes  The digital aerials for digital TV do pick up interference from motorbikes and some cars though! The picture quality on Freesat is brilliant and of course interference free, although the signal occassionally drops out in adverse weather conditions - good game, good game! It is only a short interuption .. usually x Tig |
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Post by Spruance on Feb 11, 2010 20:29:31 GMT
The new TV arrived this morning and is now up and running. The hardest part of the operation was putting the separately bought stand together, which took a good deal longer than the TV set up. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/grin.gif Having opted not to bother with Freesat at the moment I am nonetheless very impressed with the picture quality, and the fact that the (Sony) DVD player worked with the new set first time as well. The only real issue is the fact that I can't seem to get the TV to recognise the old JVC VCR. I know the video is working and come to that the Freeview RF aerial connects to the TV via the video, so that part works. Apart from this I have connected the VCR via SCART lead to the AV2 port on the TV (from the AV2 SCART port on the VCR). Whereas the DVD player is connected via SCART lead to the AV1 SCART port on the TV. I did suspect that it might no be possible to use the VCR to record on the new set up but hadn't expected to be unable to play videos either. Any ideas anyone?  (PS: The JVC video is, I would guess, around ten years old.) |
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Post by Dutchy on Feb 13, 2010 10:42:10 GMT
Erm not good with all this but the question I have is have you appointed one channel on the tv for both taping thingies or one for the vcr and one for the dvd. Because each one needs its separate channel.
You probably have I know but stillll..
It works with us. We even have the cable (and yes you need a new one as old cables ten to "clog up") come in at the VCR and a scart on into the TV. It works. Just don't ask how.
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Post by Jilly on Feb 13, 2010 11:05:53 GMT
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Post by Spruance on Feb 14, 2010 0:18:27 GMT
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Post by Jilly on Feb 15, 2010 19:00:41 GMT
Sorry it took a while Spruance, OH didn't have many ideas but came up with this. The AV2 port on your new TV should be able to receive the signal from your VCR - I would look to either of these to be causing the problem . 1. Scart lead not plugged in fully (simple, I know, but we see an awful lot of this). 2 AV2 on your VCR MAY be for input only - check the manual, or look at the symbol near the SCART socket - the symbols usually are a. SCART symbol with arrow pointing towards it = input only b. SCART symbol with arrow pointing away from it = output only c. SCART symbol with double arrow pointing both ways (or no arrow at all)= input/output, either auto selects from equipment connected, or is set in the VCR setup menu. I hope you understand that (lost me) i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif Jillyx |
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Post by Spruance on Feb 15, 2010 23:02:18 GMT
Yes that makes sense Jilly and please thank your OH again for his trouble. It did cross my mind to swap the scart leads over. It seems strange that the - albeit much newer - DVD player works ok so it may just be that the VCR is too old to work as intended. The multi-purpose device looks quite tempting as well though so that may be the ultimate way out of this problem. Thanks again. i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif |
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Post by Barbara on Feb 16, 2010 8:27:10 GMT
We have that many leads at the back of the tv, it takes hubby to hold them out of the way while I hoover. god help me if a lead falls out when I'm on my own, I wouldn't have a clue where it went back in. ;D
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Post by Spruance on Feb 19, 2010 21:40:46 GMT
Just in case anyone is still interested <yawn> I have just made what for me is something of an amazing discovery in that the upstairs analogue VCR will timer record digital signals from the set-top box whilst allowing analogue channels to be viewed on the TV. It will even record digital radio broadcasts. The only stipulation seems to be that the set-top box has to be tuned to the target channel (i.e. the one to be recorded) first and then left switched on. Now if I can just persuade the new TV to 'see' the downstairs VCR I have cracked it as I can record upstairs and watch downstairs! i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/wink.gif |
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Post by Spruance on Feb 21, 2010 15:22:38 GMT
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So yesterday we went down to the local department store and ordered a new 32" Full HD Panasonic LCD with Freeview built in and also, intriguingly, with an inbuilt Freesat HD tuner.
So the question is does anyone have Freesat already or indeed an HD digital TV? 
, I'll ask him when his brain has started to work again 
