Digital tv switchover/ off warning

**hoggy** · 10-07-2009

a friend of mine bought a digital TV in 2000 and another in 2003, the switchover was yesterday. No BBC at all now. Yes he did re-tune it. he phoned Panasonic today and they said the early digital TV sets won't work after the switchover. They have offered him £80.00 to buy set top boxes. A set top box turns the signal back to analogue. So after years of digital he now has to watch analogue or buy new TV's

**hoggy** · 10-07-2009

just had a thought surely a digital box is still digital and not analogue can someone please confirm i am right,then i can phone him up and tell him hes wrong.I hope?

**Channel Hopper** · 10-07-2009

Where does he live ?

**hoggy** · 10-07-2009

Originally Posted by Channel Hopper

Where does he live ?

redruth cornwall

***2cvbloke*** · 10-07-2009

I'm confused, if the TV is an IDTV (Integrated Digital TV), but the ID part doesn't work for Digital???

Our Sony IDTV is about 7 or 8 years old and it still works on the Digital side, and for the moment it's same on the analogue, but that doesn't see much use unless there was some failure on both the cable and freeview. The switchover here's set for November, so I can't say whether the switchover knocks off the TV's innards, but we'll see...

As for the set top boxes, I think what they were trying to say is that their boxes have a UHF modulator in them, unlike most cheap freeview boxes, so that they can put out an Analogue RF signal for older TVs/Videos with no Scart/AV facility, but often technical staff aren't actually that savvy when it comes to explaining things...

But it's still confusing that their early TVs can't handle the same signals that they have used for the past 9 years...

**Channel Hopper** · 11-07-2009

Originally Posted by hoggy

redruth cornwall

Then it might be that what he has on the roof is no longer compatible with reception

An older aerial might have been able to provide enough signal to give him an analogue picture on some channels, but the digital reception may not be good at all, despite the transmitter putting out digital broadcasts.

It is unlikely (but possible ) that the TV is now completely defunct.

**aba** · 11-07-2009

Originally Posted by hoggy

a friend of mine bought a digital TV in 2000 and another in 2003, the switchover was yesterday. No BBC at all now. Yes he did re-tune it. he phoned Panasonic today and they said the early digital TV sets won't work after the switchover. They have offered him £80.00 to buy set top boxes. A set top box turns the signal back to analogue. So after years of digital he now has to watch analogue or buy new TV's

but surly if you purchased a digital tv to watch digital tv and you cant watch digital tv on it tell them you don't want £ 80 to get a digital box you want a digital tv that will receive what it is advertised to do receive digital tv or you are going to the trading standards people surly it don't mater how long you've had it it ain't doing what its supposed to do

**Channel Hopper** · 11-07-2009

Some of the early TV's do have trouble (mainly the last of the tube TVs with an integral Freeview box). These usually have trouble with a full rescan that leaves channels in odd number listings.

Additionally there were the SetPal terrestrial boxes that had chipset firmware incompatible with the new transmissions, and most were turned off the first time they were rescanned sometime last year.

Don't believe anything you see when it comes to 'HD Ready' logos either.

***2cvbloke*** · 12-07-2009

Originally Posted by Channel Hopper

Some of the early TV's do have trouble (mainly the last of the tube TVs with an integral Freeview box). These usually have trouble with a full rescan that leaves channels in odd number listings.

Actually, that might explain the odd channel numbers on my Oggle freeview box, it puts the all the rescanned channels up in the 800s and the others just here there and everywhere...

Took ages to get it into a reasonable state for it to be used...

**PaulR** · 13-07-2009

Originally Posted by Channel Hopper

Additionally there were the SetPal terrestrial boxes that had chipset firmware incompatible with the new transmissions, and most were turned off the first time they were rescanned sometime last year.

Originally Posted by 2cvbloke

Actually, that might explain the odd channel numbers on my Oggle freeview box, it puts the all the rescanned channels up in the 800s and the others just here there and everywhere... (

I have a Daewoo Setpal box in our bedroom which I have studiously avoided retuning since this all came to light. Things have been gradually getting more and more strange with the channels and then a week ago something else changed and now I have nothing in the lower numbers up to 100.

BBC1 is at 715 amongst radio programmes and other TV channels formerly at the beginning of the numbering.

I fear the end is in sight for the poor old Setpal.

**irart** · 13-07-2009

Just another piece of info that might be of interest. Since the digital change over here in Cornwall, the numbers for a manual scan for channels used to be 39,42,43,45,49 & 50. 39 has now gone, and 44 has been added. I found this out when I discovered that my old Nokia OnDigital (remember them!) box we use in the spare bedroom, could not locate the main BBC channels. They used to be on 39, but are now located on 44 which the Nokia box can't find. I presume that the software is now out of date. This might account for some of the older equipment not working properly

**hoggy** · 14-07-2009

Can't wait till all the car radios and hi fi tuners stop working in 5 years time.....

Oh so true big shocks waves for all in the coming years ...DRM after 3 years testing they have just revealed that MW Digital does not work at night
Due to strong Spanish & Arabic Medium wave Analogue stations,
Dab will be a dead duck in 5 years when we change over to Dab+ & if you cannot find Radio 2,Radio 3 or Radio 4 on VHF that's because they will only be on Dab+ from 2014 as only Local Radio will be on VHF-band 2
As for UHF digital be prepared for Digital Distortion because you have a 48 Element aerial for those weak candle like signals on switch over most transmitters will increase power x10 to x20 this will lead to a distorted picture due to tuner overload,
Yes Digital Britain is going to be a difficult time for all but with more planning & thought it could have been much easier.

**brother** · 18-07-2009

PauLR - Re- your Daewoo Setpal - If you E-Mail Daewoo and state the itme was not fit for purpose and be persistent (took me 3 e-mails) they will offer you a freewview receiver with Hard Drive -deliver and collect your old Setpal.

Something that is being overlooked is the TV in the bedroom which is fed sky tv from the second UHF from the receiver - this is an analogue signal to the bedroom TV. Your ok at the moment if you upgrade the tv in the bedroom to digital as they still come with analogue tuners which will allow the sky uhf signal to be received. BUT when analogue is swtiched off manufacturers will stop including analogue tuners in their Digital TVs and thus that second sky feed wont be picked up - of course by this time sky may have come up with a solution at a cost- but to stay in control start upgrading your tvs sooner rather than wait for switchover.

**PaulR** · 19-07-2009

Originally Posted by brother

PauLR - Re- your Daewoo Setpal - If you E-Mail Daewoo and state the itme was not fit for purpose and be persistent (took me 3 e-mails) they will offer you a freewview receiver with Hard Drive - deliver and collect your old Setpal.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that. It's got to be worth a punt.

I've actually got two Daewoo Setpal boxes (the second one doesn't acknowledge any transmissions) - does this mean I'll get two replacements perhaps?

thevilla1 · 20-07-2009

Originally Posted by hoggy

just had a thought surely a digital box is still digital and not analogue can someone please confirm i am right,then i can phone him up and tell him hes wrong.I hope?

im pretty sure you can phone him up and tell him hes wrong...

a set top box is a way of receiving digital tv..same as cable or dish...the tv will just show what you can receive...ie freeview with set top box.

i have a 20 year old 14" portable that works with freeview set top box...
the tv is just the viewing part....50 year old black and white teles would still work if you have a set top box...or any other means of picking up digital....

correct me if im wrong...

**Llew** · 20-07-2009

Originally Posted by thevilla1

....50 year old black and white teles would still work if you have a set top box...or any other means of picking up digital....

correct me if im wrong...

Not if it's been used for UK broadcasts. It'll be a 405-line standard TV - no good for today's 625-line transmissions.

Llew

**rolfw** · 20-07-2009

Yep, dual standard started in early 60s from memory.

Problem with many old 625 lines TVs is that they only had RF inputs, no AV input at all and many/most set top boxes don't have an RF modulator, only a looptrough.

**Llew** · 20-07-2009

This fellow's happy enough with his Marconiphone TV - over 70 years old and still working

He uses a digital STB and a standards converter. Must convert line standard as well as UHF -VHF presumably.

_www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200808/Still-good-working-order-television-set-1936.html

***2cvbloke*** · 20-07-2009

Originally Posted by Llew

This fellow's happy enough with his Marconiphone TV - over 70 years old and still working

He uses a digital STB and a standards converter. Must convert line standard as well as UHF -VHF presumably.

_www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200808/Still-good-working-order-television-set-1936.html

I do wonder why people still claim that Baird invented the TV, cos it was actually an american who invented what we used up until the LCD & Plasma TV came along, Baired created the Mechanical TV, but the american (forgot his name) invented the CRT TV....

Oh well, I'm sure someone'll notice...

mich181189 · 21-07-2009

Originally Posted by 2cvbloke

I do wonder why people still claim that Baird invented the TV, cos it was actually an american who invented what we used up until the LCD & Plasma TV came along, Baired created the Mechanical TV, but the american (forgot his name) invented the CRT TV....

Oh well, I'm sure someone'll notice...

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth Can't help thinking there is some reference to this in futurama

***Tivù*** · 21-07-2009

Originally Posted by 2cvbloke

.............. the american (forgot his name) invented the CRT TV....

I was intrigued by this, so have while away a few nanoseconds on Google and come up with two names:

Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, a Russian-born American inventor working for Westinghouse, and Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a privately backed farm boy from the state of Utah.

Obviously, I cribbed that, but the article I got it from is really quite interesting.

Here is a Linkie _http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae408.cfm

So although mich11189 also unearthed Farnsworth (So to speak!), the bag of worms remains well and truly open.

**Llew** · 21-07-2009

I reckon that Marconiphone TV can be described as the first flat-screen television

The image from the CRT hidden in the cabinet is reflected onto a mirror in the lid, which is hinged at 45 degrees.

Renovation of this TV can be followed here -

_www.radiocraft.co.uk/702.htm

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Digital tv switchover/ off warning Information exchange on Freeview, Freeview HD, Digital Terrestrial Television and analogue broadcasts.

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