Freeview spontaneously decided to have 'no signal' on various channels

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › Freeview spontaneously decided to have 'no signal' on various channels

amyk003

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#75381 17-Jan-2011 20:22

We have a SONY Bravia TV we bought in 2010 abd recently, most noticably today, it has been breaking up signal, getting pixilated and then turning black, the screen.

Before we lost freeview channels, such as TVNZ7, and now we have lost channels 3, 4, 8 and 9 - all linked to the tv3 and c4 network. I managed to win back tv 1 and 2, but that's about all.

What can I do? I've checked all the plugs etc and even moved the tv around, how can I solve this issue and get tv3 back?!?!

Many thanks in advance!

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#428193 17-Jan-2011 20:28

Where do you live?
Do you have access to another Freeview TV or Set Top Box to test on?
What sort of aerial do you have?

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#428199 17-Jan-2011 20:32

Odds are there is an issue with your aerial or cabling.

amyk003

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#428203 17-Jan-2011 20:44

Burnside, Christchurch

And no, I don't think so

We had an old Panosonic TV set, so we're wiring freeview via the VCR [strangely enought, i've never been able to record freeview shows]

amyk003

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#428205 17-Jan-2011 20:46

That's what I thought. Apparenly we have a loose cable, and though we may be able to recieve a clearer image on a freeview channel, channel 3 says "channel not available"

we bought the tv, built in freeview and cables from harvey norman - will they be able to help?

mattwnz

20149 posts

Uber Geek

#428213 17-Jan-2011 21:06

amyk003: Burnside, Christchurch

And no, I don't think so

We had an old Panosonic TV set, so we're wiring freeview via the VCR [strangely enought, i've never been able to record freeview shows]

It will be the freeview signal, such as a connector or aerial problem. Are you running it off a splitter, with multiple tvs off the same aerial? Not sure if a signal boaster would help. It did help in my case where I had the same problem.

amyk003

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#428221 17-Jan-2011 21:29

Okay, thanks. We tried analog but the clarity was shocking and the images were distorted! however we got the classic tv3! no, we just have the one tv. okay then, thanks. i'm not sure if we jolted the cords in any way, but hopefully dad will go check it out at harvey norman tomorrow. thank you so much for the response :)

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#428222 17-Jan-2011 21:31

amyk003: Burnside, Christchurch

And no, I don't think so

We had an old Panosonic TV set, so we're wiring freeview via the VCR [strangely enought, i've never been able to record freeview shows]

You cannot record Freeview shows on your VCR as the video recorder only has an analogue tuner, not a digital terrestrial Freeview tuner.

So... when they turn off the analogue network in a few years time, your recorder will no longer be able to record unless you buy a separate Freeview box, or a Panasonic TV with Freeview box, then loop it out of the 'analogue outs' on the Pana...

Best to buy a Freeview recorder (Magic TV etc) or maybe a DVD recorder with Freeview built in (like the Panasonic DMR-XW380GN-K) if you do want to record Freeview.

Tradepub

Free professional, reference and technical white papers (affiliate link).

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#428223 17-Jan-2011 21:34

amyk003: Okay, thanks. We tried analog but the clarity was shocking and the images were distorted! however we got the classic tv3! no, we just have the one tv. okay then, thanks. i'm not sure if we jolted the cords in any way, but hopefully dad will go check it out at harvey norman tomorrow. thank you so much for the response :)

I'm almost 100% sure that Harvey Norman will only be able to put you onto an aerial company... It sounds like an issue with your aerial as the TV is getting some, not all Freeview channels.
Often aerials move / cables corrode to the point that signals start degrading and no longer showing up on your TV.
One thing to try though... find out how to do a full reset on your TV (it'll be in the menu system) and then re-turn your tellie.

Spyware

3761 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#428240 17-Jan-2011 22:18

amyk003: Okay, thanks. We tried analog but the clarity was shocking and the images were distorted! however we got the classic tv3! no, we just have the one tv. okay then, thanks. i'm not sure if we jolted the cords in any way, but hopefully dad will go check it out at harvey norman tomorrow. thank you so much for the response :)

Freeview HD (DVB-T H.264) is on the UHF band, channels 47, 49 and 50 from Sugarloaf. Best to check Maori TV analog as this is on UHF channel 46, CTV is close by on 44. If Maori analog is snowy then you most likely have either an aerial or cabling fault or no UHF antenna at all.

Spark Max Fibre using Mikrotik CCR1009-8G-1S-1S+, CRS125-24G-1S, Unifi UAP, U6-Pro, UAP-AC-M-Pro, Apple TV 4K (2022), Apple TV 4K (2017), iPad Air 1st gen, iPad Air 4th gen, iPhone 13, SkyNZ3151 (the white box). If it doesn't move then it's data cabled.

Nety

2584 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#428295 18-Jan-2011 06:26

Try taking the VCR out of the loop and plug the aerial directly into the TV. As you say you cannot get Freeview on it anyway (as it has a analogue tuner and Freeview is digital) and it will be causing a slight decrease in the signal.
However what you really need to do is get a pro in to look at your aerial. You cannot point the finger at the TV or expect Harvey Norman to help when it is the aerial that is the problem.

Media centre PC - Case Silverstone LC16M with 2 X 80mm AcoustiFan DustPROOF, MOBO Gigabyte MA785GT-UD3H, CPU AMD X2 240 under volted, RAM 4 Gig DDR3 1033, HDD 120Gig System/512Gig data, Tuners 2 X Hauppauge HVR-3000, 1 X HVR-2200, Video Palit GT 220, Sound Realtek 886A HD (onboard), Optical LiteOn DH-401S Blue-ray using TotalMedia Theatre Power Corsair VX Series, 450W ATX PSU OS Windows 7 x64

amyk003

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#428580 18-Jan-2011 20:22

Thanks everyone.

Just wondering: if I were to connect the TV up to a DVDR (would it need to have freeview built in or anything like that?) would that clear everything up?

When the TV is in analogue mode, I can have tv3, but no teletex, program details etc. and the picture isn't as crisp; but when it's digital mode, some channels are REALLY pixilated!

Spyware

3761 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#428597 18-Jan-2011 20:54

As I said previously, you need to check the state of analog channels like Maori TV and CTV for the state of your UHF reception. If analog UHF is good then your Freeview HD should be fine. Analog TV3 is on the VHF band, channel 6 from Sugarloaf, and completely irrelevant.

Any recording device needs to have an inbuilt DVB-T H.264 tuner. Modern TVs with digital tuners do not convert the digital transport stream to an analog signal and pass it out for recording as this really negates the benefits of digital transmission.

Also, having a VCR or DVDR in the RF circuit is not a good idea as the male female RF cables used between VCR and TV are low quality with high loss. All fly leads should be RG6 with crimped F connectors. F type to Belling Lee adapter only needs to used at the TV. Instead of wiring in series use a splitter.

illicit

553 posts

Ultimate Geek

#428625 18-Jan-2011 22:00

Ring an expert - your getting nowhere - fast