New TV

[blackrose]

I bought a new TV yesterday: 29" HD ready with built in freeview. Connected it to the coax cable from my satellite dish and did an autotune, but it said "No Signal". Reconnected the old TV and freview box and got every channel.

 

Anyone know what's going on?

 

Thanks

[Martin Megson]

Freeview uses an ordinary ariel. Freest uses a dish.

[blackrose]

Freeview uses an ordinary ariel. Freest uses a dish.

 

I see - I didn't know the difference. So I still need to use my old freesat box despite this TV having freeview?

 

The idiot in the shop told me I could just connect it directly to the satellite dish.

Edited October 19, 2014 by blackrose

[junior]

 

I see - I didn't know the difference. So I still need to use my old freesat box despite this TV having freeview?

Not if you get a TV aerial.

[Guest]

I see - I didn't know the difference. So I still need to use my old freesat box despite this TV having freeview?

 

The idiot in the shop told me I could just connect it directly to the satellite dish.

Some TV's do have Freesat (satellite) built in and some have Freeview (Aerial) built in.

 

On balance I would guess TV's with Freeview (Aerial) are more common. If you have bought this one on the basis of the stores advice (ie you can connect a satellite dish to it) you are well within your rights to get a full refund or an exchange for one that does have Freesat built in.

 

Or as said above just get an aerial.

 

Personally I would swap it for one that has Freesat built in so you can dispense with the Freesat box to use it with your existing set up/cable run.

[bottle]

Just one more point, HD ready does not mean it is a Full HD TV

 

The inbuilt tuner (freeview) will not be able to pick up the HD channels that are now becoming the 'norm' on Freeview.

 

It will give an HD picture though from your Freesat box if that is again an HD one.

 

HD ready TV are being sold at reduced prices because they are now out of date but if you will only use it with the Freesat HD tuner then it will be OK.

 

 

HD tuners on both systems will pick up SD signals.

[Richard10002]

I see - I didn't know the difference. So I still need to use my old freesat box despite this TV having freeview?

 

The idiot in the shop told me I could just connect it directly to the satellite dish.

What happens if you connect the old box and aerial to the new tv ... Just like the old tv?

[blackrose]

Thanks all - I accept that there was some stupidity on my part here. I did actually know the difference between Freview and Freesat about a 18 months ago when I bought a new satellite decoder, but my memory seems to be fried these days!

 

Anyway, I've got the new TV going from the satellite decoder through the scart cable, but the only problem now is that when I go to the "Guide" on the satellite decoder remote control, it takes the input off "Scart" on the TV. I can still change channels by going up or down, but the only way I can see the programme guide now is to put the input back to "Scart" with the TV remote control.

 

I looked at Full HD and HD Ready TVs in the shop, but to be honest unless the TV was much bigger than mine I couldn't see the difference in resolution.

Edited October 19, 2014 by blackrose

[bottle]

Look for an HDMI socket on your satellite box and also on the TV, buy an HDMI lead (of suitable length) and remove the scart lead.

[blackrose]

Yes, the box and the TV both have HDMI sockets. Will connecting them solve the TV guide issue?

[Guest]

Thanks all - I accept that there was some stupidity on my part here. I did actually know the difference between Freview and Freesat about a 18 months ago when I bought a new satellite decoder, but my memory seems to be fried these days!

 

Anyway, I've got the new TV going from the satellite decoder through the scart cable, but the only problem now is that when I go to the "Guide" on the satellite decoder remote control, it takes the input off "Scart" on the TV. I can still change channels by going up or down, but the only way I can see the programme guide now is to put the input back to "Scart" with the TV remote control.

 

I looked at Full HD and HD Ready TVs in the shop, but to be honest unless the TV was much bigger than mine I couldn't see the difference in resolution.

Somewhere in the TV menu setup there should be the ability to disable the SCART switching function, disabling that should help.

[blackrose]

Somewhere in the TV menu setup there should be the ability to disable the SCART switching function, disabling that should help.

 

The only options I can find in the menu are HDMI ARC and HDMI CEC. Both are switched off.

 

I can't find any scart switching functions in the menu.

[Guest]

The only options I can find in the menu are HDMI ARC and HDMI CEC. Both are switched off.

 

I can't find any scart switching functions in the menu.

OK have a look in the setup menu of the Satellite decoder, it may be there instead, if not then your equipment probably doesn't have the facility.

[blackrose]

OK have a look in the setup menu of the Satellite decoder, it may be there instead, if not then your equipment probably doesn't have the facility.

 

No, there's nothing about scart switching. I guess my equipment doesn't have the facility to overcome this inherent incompatibility!

 

Edit: In the TV users manual it says that once the scart device is connected and switched on then it will automatically change the input source to scart when the device is switched on. However, it doesn't say anything about switching the input source away from scart when you try to use any of the external scart device features! How ridiculous!

 

The TV has a "lock settings" feature but I've tried that and it doesn't stop the input switching. I think I will go back to Currys with the manuals for both products - I bought them both there.

Edited October 19, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

No, there's nothing about scart switching. I guess my equipment doesn't have the facility to overcome this inherent incompatibility!

 

Edit: In the TV users manual it says that once the scart device is connected and switched on then it will automatically change the input source to scart when the device is switched on. However, it doesn't say anything about switching the input source away from scart when you try to use any of the external scart device features! How ridiculous!

 

I guess it's wrongly detecting that switching to the guide is meaning the Sat decoder has been switched off, probably due to a very brief interrupt to the video output. It clearly shouldn't be doing it and would be grounds for returning it. Though of course it should then switch back to the scart socket when the guide appears.

 

I vaguely recall something similar with a Sony TV many years ago. It went back to the dealer who fixed it after contacting Sony themselves.

Edited October 19, 2014 by The Dog House

[blackrose]

Why is nothing ever simple! I don't need most of the complicated features that they build into the TV, but it would be nice if it could hold onto the input source...

Edited October 19, 2014 by blackrose

[Guest]

Why is nothing ever simple! I don't need most of the complicated features that they build into the TV, but it would be nice if it could hold onto the input source...

In some respects I think we are going backwards with electronics because yes they are becoming overly complicated.

 

It wasn't that long ago you could switch on a TV and immediately displayed sound and picture. Now they contain so many features they have to 'boot up' like a computer as does our sky box, it's reminiscent of the old 'valve' TV's that had to warm up before you could see or hear anything.

 

As to your problem you could try Keith's suggestion and just disconnect the scart and use the hdmi, the leads are cheap enough now from the likes of Tesco or ASDA.

Edited October 19, 2014 by The Dog House

[blackrose]

I'm going to take both manuals to Currys today and tell them if they can't find a fix or a workaround by next weekend then I'm bringing the TV back for a refund.

[Scooby]

Take the tv back and get one that has both freeview and freesat then you have both options available without the extra box, and buy a hdmi cable. Scart is so outdated.

[aread2]

In some respects I think we are going backwards with electronics because yes they are becoming overly complicated.

 

It wasn't that long ago you could switch on a TV and immediately displayed sound and picture. Now they contain so many features they have to 'boot up' like a computer as does our sky box, it's reminiscent of the old 'valve' TV's that had to warm up before you could see or hear anything.

 

As to your problem you could try Keith's suggestion and just disconnect the scart and use the hdmi, the leads are cheap enough now from the likes of Tesco or ASDA.

Shh! Don't tell anyone but they're all computers inside.

[Guest]

Shh! Don't tell anyone but they're all computers inside.

Indeed, I know that effectively they are, and some are allegedly more powerful than the one that took man to the moon. But it doesn't make me feel any less that in some respects they are also as bad as some computers, ie slow to start up and in the case of our sky box freezing and needing an occasional re boot. (Switch off at the wall switch back on again)

[OldGoat]

No consolation, but I've found with some inexpensive brands of electrical goods that whereas the basic functions are good (picture, sound etc), the features that make the machine flexible = do what you want it to, are poor.

 

If possible I stick to the medium priced brands - LG for example.

 

Sorry.

[frangar]

If you disconnect pin 8 on the scart lead you will disable the auto swtiching....Google will provide you with a pin diagram...that's always supposing that you can get inside the scart plug....some you can....some you cant!

 

It doesn't matter what end you disconnect.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

[Keeping Up]

Connecting by HDMI may solve the problem if it is due to the scart switching on and off when the guide is selected. With scart the input device selects itself when it wants to and deselects itself when it's finished whereas an HDMI device can select itself in the same way but cannot deselect itself. Its annoying when you're used to the TV defaulting back to TV after you stop playing a DVD for example, with hdmi when you switch off the DVD it gives you a blank screen. I've had to disable the HDMI connection, otherwise 2 or 3 times a day Pingu calls me back in because "the TV has broken again"

Edited October 19, 2014 by Keeping Up

[blackrose]

Take the tv back and get one that has both freeview and freesat then you have both options available without the extra box, and buy a hdmi cable. Scart is so outdated.

 

Yes, I went to Currys today to let them know about the problem and may well take the TV back for a refund next weekend if they can't find a fix.

 

I've found some other incompatibilities too. The programme "Info" button on the Freesat remote changes the input of the TV to DVD (it has an built-in DVD player), and using the volume buttons on the Freesat remote switches the TV off and it goes onto standby!

 

I could try the other fixes suggested here, but to be honest, I don't want to spend my hard-earned money on new electrical goods only to then have to spend my limited free time fixing problems with the equipment. The products either work or they don't, and if they don't they go back to the shop. My previous TV worked with the Freesat box so there's no reason a new TV shouldn't.

Edited October 19, 2014 by blackrose