Do not buy this 12 volt TV

[trebby91]

Hi all.

Thinking of buying a Cello TV, think again I made the mistake of buying one that has both FREESAT and FREEVIEW built in.

I purchased the 12 volt model for use aboard my boat the problems are as follows.

 

Please go here to see video of the faults:-

 

REMOTE CONTROL Please see video.

Very poor at communicating with TV, buttons have to be pressed repeatedly.

 

FREESAT Please see video.

1. No text in Satellite mode, press text button you get sub titles!

2. In EPG mode there is no information on the channels it states NO INFORMATION

3. In EPG, CHANNEL mode you cannot select a program to watch you have to exit EPG and select channel by pressing the channel number even though it states SELECT on the screen.

4. Duplicated channels you can get up to six of the same channel in the listing makes finding a channel to watch very difficult.

5. Have to retune as channels have a tendency disappear from the listings.

 

FREEVIEW Please see video.

1. No text even with a brilliant aerial reception.

2. In EPG, CHANNEL mode you cannot select a program to watch you have to exit EPG and select channel by pressing the channel number.

 

These are the faults I have found, anybody had a similar experience or found any more before I contact Trading Standards?

Please contact me at :- trebby91@yahoo.co.uk

 

COMMUNICATIONS WITH CELLO

Very poor you have to leave it a week then remind them to reply.

If you list more than one problem per communication they will only address the first one and totally ignore any other.

They try to fob you off by saying the faults are caused by weak signal. (see video)

Would all members pass this on to any website, forum, or feedback site that I may have missed?

Thanks to All,

Barry

 

[Robbo]

If you bought it off internet and less than 7 days ago send it back (the limit has or will go up to 14 days)

[Nightwatch]

I have bought a callo TV with frees at and DVD. No problems as yet. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Martyn

[canals are us?]

I have had 2 cello TV's, first a 15 inch that died at 3 months old. On switching it on a tartan effect screen would come on but no picture, then got sent a 22inch version for free.

Found it very good but unfortunately worked fine for just over a year but sometimes throws a wobble.

You turn the tv on and it comes on to a channel, then if you want to change channel it changes over to the other channel but comes on with just a blank black screen and totally frozen. Once it does this you have to unplug and keep trying until eventually it works. It has done this several times and can be infuriating as it even did it with the volume etc by freezing.

My remote is knackered as the down button does not work. I have dropped it on the floor several times like the sony one. It even freezes while using the buttons on the tv so not the remote as I had hoped!!

 

Would I buy another when this one finally dies, no way!! My Nan's 37 inch sony bravia KDL which is 7 years old works perfectly even the remote.

As I'm Marina based mostly I would probably buy a 240 volt tv as £200 is a lot to pay to get 1 year out of it.

 

James

Edited June 13, 2014 by canals are us?

[Alanji]

After 18 months my Cello has no problems. Fingers crossed.

[dor]

Had my Cello for about 5 years now. Been faultless during that time, unlike the Toshiba it replaced which died after ten months. One thing I noticed is that its tuner was much more sensitive that the Tosh, so didn't need to use a booster with an Omnimax.

[trebby91]

An update from the manufacture (see reply below)

It would seem that all the faults shown on the video are “working within specification”

The bottom line is the TV does not receive Freesat or Freeview there is no text available.

It would seem that the TV is not made to operate in the U.K.

 

 

Thank you for your email.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you but the review was still in progress with our technical team. Since receiving your email below I have chased them up on this for the answers you require and I can confirm below is the information we have been informed of:

From the video link provided, below details are in order of problem raised:

1, Remote does not always work: The remote control does require to be directed to the remote sensor and any angled approach would affect the functionality, although we could supply a replacement remote control if needed.

2, No text on DVBT: Unfortunately model C26103F Traveller was designed without the UK text facility. TV does not have MHEG5 which is required to have UK Text.

3, No text on Satellite: The only text available on 28.5 degrees is subtitles which are showing. In order to get digital text (MHEG-HD) it needs to be UK Freesat and be connected to the internet. The Satellite function on the C26103F Traveller has Free to Air and not Freesat and does not have an internet connection.

4, Unable to select channel from EPG on DVBT: To select channel from the EPG on DVBT:

Press EPG

·Press 2 curved arrows button (this will change the menu from “channel” to “Time”)

· Press down (or up) to scroll to the desired channel

Press OK

The TV will change to selected channel

 

5, In Sat mode text buttons only brings up text: As advised in point 3, this is the only text page available in Satellite mode.

6, Unable to select channel from EPG in Sat mode: The same selection method in point 4 will allow the channel

7, EPG has no info in Sat mode: There is no 7 day EPG on free to air satellite feature as there is no internet connection.

8, Duplicate channels: A full scan using the quick start feature will capture all available channels on free to air satellite facility. The TV does not identify the region that it is being used in and therefore will not restrict channels by this order. No matter where you are watching the TV within the UK a customer will be able to choose whether to watch: Tyne Tees, Yorkshire, Border region, Anglia etc. This was intended to accommodate for the use on boats, camping and other leisure activities. The quick start feature will place the channels in order suitable for the UK, although the TV does have the capability to scan from the menu which will not organise the channel order.

9, Dropping channels: As it is Free to air the broadcasts can change regularly to different Muxes to allow for testing streams and commercial transport. Unfortunately the system can only show what is being broadcast at the certain time and cannot control these changes.

The model C26103F Traveller is not Freeview or Freesat enabled although it receives UK DVBT channels and all UK Satellite channels from 28.5E. Full HD Satellite BBC1, BBC2, etc

In light of the above information from our technical department, it would confirm that other than a possible fault with the remote control, it would seem that the TV is working to specification and I do hope this helps to understand the capabilities of model C26103F Traveller. Should you feel that there is a fault with the remote control, please let me know and I will arrange a replacement to be supplied.

Best Regards

Steven Cranswick

An update from the manufacture (see reply below)

It would seem that all the faults shown on the video are “working within specification”

The bottom line is the TV does not receive Freesat or Freeview there is no text available.

It would seem that the TV is not made to operate in the U.K.

Thank you for your email.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to you but the review was still in progress with our technical team. Since receiving your email below I have chased them up on this for the answers you require and I can confirm below is the information we have been informed of:

From the video link provided, below details are in order of problem raised:

1, Remote does not always work: The remote control does require to be directed to the remote sensor and any angled approach would affect the functionality, although we could supply a replacement remote control if needed.

2, No text on DVBT: Unfortunately model C26103F Traveller was designed without the UK text facility. TV does not have MHEG5 which is required to have UK Text.

3, No text on Satellite: The only text available on 28.5 degrees is subtitles which are showing. In order to get digital text (MHEG-HD) it needs to be UK Freesat and be connected to the internet. The Satellite function on the C26103F Traveller has Free to Air and not Freesat and does not have an internet connection.

4, Unable to select channel from EPG on DVBT: To select channel from the EPG on DVBT:

Press EPG

·Press 2 curved arrows button (this will change the menu from “channel” to “Time”)

· Press down (or up) to scroll to the desired channel

Press OK

The TV will change to selected channel

 

5, In Sat mode text buttons only brings up text: As advised in point 3, this is the only text page available in Satellite mode.

6, Unable to select channel from EPG in Sat mode: The same selection method in point 4 will allow the channel

7, EPG has no info in Sat mode: There is no 7 day EPG on free to air satellite feature as there is no internet connection.

8, Duplicate channels: A full scan using the quick start feature will capture all available channels on free to air satellite facility. The TV does not identify the region that it is being used in and therefore will not restrict channels by this order. No matter where you are watching the TV within the UK a customer will be able to choose whether to watch: Tyne Tees, Yorkshire, Border region, Anglia etc. This was intended to accommodate for the use on boats, camping and other leisure activities. The quick start feature will place the channels in order suitable for the UK, although the TV does have the capability to scan from the menu which will not organise the channel order.

9, Dropping channels: As it is Free to air the broadcasts can change regularly to different Muxes to allow for testing streams and commercial transport. Unfortunately the system can only show what is being broadcast at the certain time and cannot control these changes.

The model C26103F Traveller is not Freeview or Freesat enabled although it receives UK DVBT channels and all UK Satellite channels from 28.5E. Full HD Satellite BBC1, BBC2, etc

In light of the above information from our technical department, it would confirm that other than a possible fault with the remote control, it would seem that the TV is working to specification and I do hope this helps to understand the capabilities of model C26103F Traveller. Should you feel that there is a fault with the remote control, please let me know and I will arrange a replacement to be supplied.

Best Regards

Steven Cranswick

[rgreg]

I've just unpacked and set-up my new Cello Freeview TV/DVD and, thankfully, so far so good. I'll report back if I find any concerns.

[dor]

It would appear from the response that the tuner is similar to many cheap (e.g. Aldi) sattelite receivers where they are not Freesat receivers.

Just as it is important to check that your HD TV actually has a HD tuner (not all do!) and is full HD not just 720P HD, it is also important to check that the satellite tuner is a Freesat one with full 7 day EPG. Same goes for Freeview.

 

My 5 year old Cello TV doesn't have a satellite tuner, but the DVBT tuner is a proper Freeview one with 7 day EPG. Sounds like your one was a cheap import - did you buy it off eBay?

[Richard Famous]

I bought a 15" Cello and it worked for 13 months and then gave up the ghost. I rang Cello and the very abrupt lady said as it was no longer covered by the warranty, they would not repair or replace it. It sounded like she had repeated this message many times. She said, if I returned it, they would repair it at cost but this was nearly as much as buying a new one. I started to express my dissatisfaction and the phone line went dead - as dead as the TV in fact. I would not go back to owning one. Good luck to anyone who's got one!