Just Left SKY, Now Very Confused... How To Get TV??

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#1962233 22-Feb-2018 13:59

freitasm:

Summary:

For Freeview with HD and Digital sound, check you have a UHF antenna and get either a recorder, set top box or Freeview HD-compatible TV.
For Freeview Satellite (no HD), get a set top box and plug where the SKY box was before.

This

With the caveat to the first point above - that your TV, sourced from Australia, may not have a Freeview NZ compatible tuner.

Try performing a factory reset on the TV and see if it lets you set NZ as a country - if it does it may be ok - otherwise maybe not.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

dafman

3927 posts

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#1962235 22-Feb-2018 14:12

dolsen:

2 - external uhf aerial - Pro - best signal and quality Con somewhat expensive (if not already there).

I recently paid for a professional install of external UHF. Price was around $400, included purchase of new UHF aerial and removal of Sky dish and old analogue aerial - which I thought was very good value for money.

(+1 for Kapiti Aerial Services).

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#1962271 22-Feb-2018 15:10

Thanks everyone, most helpful!

Some updates:

So I guess the TV can actually do Freeview even though it's from Oz... It does come up with seperate "DTV" and "TV" sections when tuning. I can also see what's on next etc (sometimes). So it does Freeview. Sweet.
I haven't found the aerial, but from what you are saying it must be an anolog one - not UHF/terrestial. I guess previous owners have always has SKY and never updated it after the digital switch over. I imagine many SKY households are the same.
I'm in central Auckland suburbs so I guess maybe that's why the UHF signal is strong enough I can get a picture sometimes with nothing plugged in but power.
I am not keen to get a new TV just now. Hoping OLED prices come down.
Cheapest option seems to be to get a satellite freeview decoder which I could plug into the old SKY jack. Otherwise install a UHF aerial and plug the TV direct to that. Update - indoor aerial cheapest - see below.
One poster also said that KODI has a Freeview add-on which I've found and can't post the link to, so I will check that out too (I have an Amazon Fire). That would probably do us TBH if it works.
I could also try with a UHF internal aerial as the signal where I live seems strong.https://www.bunnings.co.nz/antsig-140-x-260mm-black-indoor-digital-antenna_p00165172 or https://www.banggood.com/Long-Range-Amplified-Flat-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna-VHF-UHF-Digital-Analog-TV-HD-Home-p-1119610.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN

Thank you all once again, very educational!!

KrazyKid

1238 posts

Uber Geek

#1962282 22-Feb-2018 15:42

Bunning for the internal aerial seems a good start. Take advantage of their excellent returns policy if it is not working to your satisfaction.

Nutts

65 posts

Master Geek

#1962286 22-Feb-2018 15:48

If you are going to use an indoor or external aerial to receive frewiew TV then you will need to change the country setting in the TV. Then do an auto tune DTV

I have down loaded the user manual for your TV (LG 55lw4500 as per your orginal post)
Here is how to change the country setting.

OPTION settings
1 Press Home to access the main menus.
2 Press the Navigation buttons to scroll to OPTION and press OK.
3 Press the Navigation buttons to scroll to the setting or option you
want and press OK.
- To return to the previous level, press BACK.
4 When you are finished, press EXIT.

It is the country setting not the language setting

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

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#1962331 22-Feb-2018 16:36

BLazeD:

I could also try with a UHF internal aerial as the signal where I live seems strong.https://www.bunnings.co.nz/antsig-140-x-260mm-black-indoor-digital-antenna_p00165172 or https://www.banggood.com/Long-Range-Amplified-Flat-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna-VHF-UHF-Digital-Analog-TV-HD-Home-p-1119610.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN

Thank you all once again, very educational!!

I got one of those from Banggood to experiment with and attached it to my Android Media Box which has UHF and Sat tuners. I'm 11km line of site from Waiatarua and once I found the 'sweet spot' in the lounge where the antenna can see the TX thru the windows I just pinned it on the wall and it works great. Don't believe the advertising though. It definitely isn't amplified (which would require a power supply) but just some printed circuit loop antenna on plastic and I doubt it would be very good on VHF. Works just fine for UHF though. Great value for money.

Spyware

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#1962333 22-Feb-2018 16:40

I've tested a banggood like device in the past. Picked up VHF band 3 best. UHF channels were not received at all. Analog days, 16 km from Sugarloaf. Useless though even compared with rabbit ears. I have no indoor reception at all with DVB-T UHF.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

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#1962337 22-Feb-2018 16:44

BLazeD:

Thanks everyone, most helpful!

Some updates:

So I guess the TV can actually do Freeview even though it's from Oz... It does come up with seperate "DTV" and "TV" sections when tuning. I can also see what's on next etc (sometimes). So it does Freeview. Sweet.

Not necessarily. The TV must support NZ Freeview Protocols which are different to Australia. Hence the need to see if the FW supports NZ and the TV is then set to correct Country location in the setup menu. If it's set to OZ standards it could be just a fluke that it happens to receive Three occasionally. Our channel spacing is 8Mhz whilst OZ is 7Mhz. It's possible that's why you can get Three but not others. Maybe Three's Frequency just happens to coincide with one of the OZ frequencies and the others don't?

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#1962342 22-Feb-2018 16:47

Spyware:

I've tested a banggood like device in the past. Picked up VHF band 3 best. UHF channels were not received at all. Analog days, 16 km from Sugarloaf. Useless though even compared with rabbit ears. I have no indoor reception at all with DVB-T UHF.

Got to be careful how you orient it. It needs to be pinned flat to a wall in line of site to the Tx and have the correct polarisation. Laying it flat on the floor or video cabinet I get no signal at all. Perhaps you should try again. At 16km it should work fine.

Spyware

3762 posts

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#1962344 22-Feb-2018 16:54

I did play with orientation. This was over 10 years ago and has since been binned. I get no usable indoor DVB-T reception with rabbit ears so I won't be testing a banggood like device again - and there is no LOS unless at roof height.

chevrolux

4962 posts

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#1962347 22-Feb-2018 16:58

I feel like this subject is now one PeterReader could answer - there must be 50+ threads on it. Its the master splitter of 2018.

Batman

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#1962392 22-Feb-2018 18:26

BLazeD:
Thanks everyone, most helpful!

Some updates:

So I guess the TV can actually do Freeview even though it's from Oz... It does come up with seperate "DTV" and "TV" sections when tuning. I can also see what's on next etc (sometimes). So it does Freeview. Sweet.

I haven't found the aerial, but from what you are saying it must be an anolog one - not UHF/terrestial. I guess previous owners have always has SKY and never updated it after the digital switch over. I imagine many SKY households are the same.

I'm in central Auckland suburbs so I guess maybe that's why the UHF signal is strong enough I can get a picture sometimes with nothing plugged in but power.

I am not keen to get a new TV just now. Hoping OLED prices come down.

Cheapest option seems to be to get a satellite freeview decoder which I could plug into the old SKY jack. Otherwise install a UHF aerial and plug the TV direct to that. Update - indoor aerial cheapest - see below.

One poster also said that KODI has a Freeview add-on which I've found and can't post the link to, so I will check that out too (I have an Amazon Fire). That would probably do us TBH if it works.

I could also try with a UHF internal aerial as the signal where I live seems strong.https://www.bunnings.co.nz/antsig-140-x-260mm-black-indoor-digital-antenna_p00165172 or https://www.banggood.com/Long-Range-Amplified-Flat-Indoor-HDTV-Antenna-VHF-UHF-Digital-Analog-TV-HD-Home-p-1119610.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN

Thank you all once again, very educational!!

1. DTV vs TV. DTV is digital TV, that is the section you need to use.

2. The aerial is NEITHER analogue nor digital, you need UHF aerial to receive digital TV IF you are in the area where it is broadcast in UHF.

3. The other way you can get digital signal is via satellite. I don't know much about Australia TVs but unless it has a satellite tuner, you likely have a UHF terrestial tuner which may or may not tune to NZ UHF Digital TV

SInce you are in AKL, you should be able to tune in to digital TV with your UHF aerial.

UHF aerial -> TV

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#1962414 22-Feb-2018 18:52

$8 later https://www.bunnings.co.nz/antsig-140-x-260mm-black-indoor-digital-antenna_p00165172 and I am in business! Everything is working perfectly and I can hide the antenna behind the TV and cabinet too - must be very strong signal here :)

So yep, the TV does Freeview (as many of you said it does) I changed the country setting to New Zealand. The Freeview EPG etc is all working fine (EPG a little slow) but tuning into channels is instant.

Thank you again to everyone for your help and suggestions.

cyril7

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#1962456 22-Feb-2018 20:21

In recent weeks I have noticed several UHF antennas pointed at our local Tx (Ngarara) all with the wrong polarity, in two instances I was cycling passed and noticed the home owner in the front yard and brought this oversight to their attention, the response in both case made me decide to leave these stupid folk to their own, make me wonder what kind of society we have created, simple pointers of miss information changed into a challenge of what they learn on Mr Google.

Cyril

tdgeek

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#1962458 22-Feb-2018 20:24

cyril7:

In recent weeks I have noticed several UHF antennas pointed at our local Tx (Ngarara) all with the wrong polarity, in two instances I was cycling passed and noticed the home owner in the front yard and brought this oversight to their attention, the response in both case made me decide to leave these stupid folk to their own, make me wonder what kind of society we have created, simple pointers of miss information changed into a challenge of what they learn on Mr Google.

Cyril

Long time no see Cyril.

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