Also want to quit Sky for Freeview

Hi there,

We have MySky HDI. But we seem to spend all our time watching TV2 or Prime, or TVNZ on demand or Netflix. The kids don't really watch the cartoon channels anymore.

We have a TV that has freeview built into it, but I have no idea what kind: Sony Bravia KDL 40E X500 " Integrated FreeviewHD Digital Tuner". other than that we just have the Panasonic Blu-ray and usual playstations and wii's etc.

We have a dish on the house, we also have an aerial that I've never used.

Today I plugged in a cable (that works) from the aerial out into the back of the TV and I flicked through the channels. It came up with the channel names like Maori TV, Prime, TV3+1 etc but said "no signal". Do you think the aerial is probably broken and that is why there is no signal? The aerial has been on the house for over 10 years. The bedroom has an outlet for the aerial that used to have an old TV plugged into it but it got only very fuzzy reception of only one channel from it. I don't know what UHF is, but maybe it is not a UHF aerial? I honestly don't know jack about this sort of stuff.

Even if it did work, we want to be able to record shows using series link etc. Our TV can't record things.

What would you recommend would be a good set up for us? We want to be able to record series, we watch a lot of online stuff, we're fine with the channels Freeview offers, we watch mostly Prime and TV2. I've been into stores but they just want to sell you the most expensive box they have, they don't really listen to what you need or have at home. I said I had an aerial, they said it would work and to just buy the box and take it home, but it doesn't work with my current Freeview TV, so.....

We do have a dish. But my undestanding is that if you use the dish you don't get all the channels?

Any advice would be great.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on October 29, 2015 at 23:12

I should also mention, someone said to me to get Freeview plus or whatever it is that has the tvnz on demand in it, and that it can record, but it has no hard drive, you need to attach your own. Is that true? I want a box that has a hard drive in it, or a way to get the tv to work and to be able to record that. Replacing our blu-ray player would be a right pain as it powers the home cinema system, and I think my husband might have a total fit if he had to set that up again. :) And it would need to go through the blu-ray player (we use an HDMI switch on it because we have about 100 consoles plugged in ) so the sound would go through the home cinema. Just thought this extra info would be handy.

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Permalink Reply by forumuser on October 30, 2015 at 0:05

Good Evening Michelle

Great to see you are interested in Freeview, there are some great options with Freeview Plus that will go well with Netflix.

In regards to your aerial, you may need to re tune your Television so that your TV can adjust to the new changes Freeview may have had overtime. You can do that by simply accessing your TV's Main Menu and look for Channels or Installation, look for Auto Tune. Make sure that the cable that is connected to the TV comes from a UHF aerial and not the Satellite Dish. If you can get all channels without any 'No Signal' message then you are ready to take the next step, choosing a MyFreeviewPlus product which works exactly like a MySkyHDi but without a monthly contract. You can get TV One, TV2 and TV3 in HD for free as well as the FreeviewPlus guide which can rewind back 7 days and catch up on missed shows via the OnDemand Apps.

The Dish TV MyFreeviewPlus aerialBox T2200 is a great choice as it comes with a 1TB built in hard drive, Live Pause, Series and Single Booking from the EPG, cast movies, music and photos from a smartphone / pc to the MyFreeviewPlus and games / apps to watch content. and it has a built in WiFi so no internet cables needed.

If you go with a MyFreeviewPlus box, make sure you unplug the UHF cable from the TV to the new unit so you can scan for channels in the easy setup.

Let me know if you need any further info about FreeviewPlus, Freeview or any of the products, Dish TV Online Support can help you with with their products if necessary

Looking forward to hearing from you

Kind Regards
Joshua

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on October 30, 2015 at 8:42

First thing to do is find your TV's manual and read it.

Also access the iManual in the TV's Menu.

These will tell you exactly how to connect, setup and tune your TV.

You need a UHF antenna and to be in UHF coverage. Some parts of Wellington are in UHF "dead" areas in valleys and behind hills etc.

Manual is available online here

http://support.sony-asia.com.edgesuite.net/consumer/IM/4174286131.pdf

as is the iManual online here

http://www.sony-asia.com/microsite/bravia_i-manuals/GA/en/ex500/

As for recording I would recommend a Panasonic FreeviewHD Recorder provided of course you are able to receive FreeviewHD UHF. Unlike all the other brands they rarely seem to have any problems.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on October 30, 2015 at 10:21

Thank you for responding Biggles, that's really useful information.

I had a look at the manuals you linked to, and iManual on the TV, but there was no mention of Freeview. It says it was built into the TV but I can't find anything on it. I went into the TV setup (HOME) and did the Digital Tuning but it found no services, "no services found, please check your antenna connection". I did plug the aerial plug into the TV! I wonder if the aerial is faulty, or the plug. That could be the problem. The two sky cables are coming out of the same plug.

But I think you're right, even if it did work, it wouldn't record anything so we'll need a recorder. There is no point in us going out and getting a recorder though if we can't get a signal. I have booked someone to come and look at our aerial. I'm within spitting distance of the big sucker on the hill so I should get exceptional reception if it does work! :)

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

Cheers,
Michelle

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Permalink Reply by Bel @ Freeview on October 30, 2015 at 11:08

Hey Michelle, once you get that UHF aerial sorted, here're a couple tips about recorders:

The latest MyFreeviewPlus recorders gives you access to ondemand on your TV (with FreeviewPlus) AND has twin tuners + inbuilt hard drive so you can record 2 programmes at the same time.

The Dish TV T2200 MyFreeviewPlus PVR is a good option (price comparisons here: http://www.priceme.co.nz/DishTV-T2200/p-892780261.aspx)

Panasonic has a DMR-PWT550gz PVR as well which they're looking to enable FreeviewPlus on that too (price comparison: http://www.priceme.co.nz/Panasonic-DMR-PWT550/p-892060002.aspx)

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on October 30, 2015 at 11:14

Thanks Bel :) That's really useful.

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on October 30, 2015 at 12:34

That's correct. The TV doesn't mention Freeview nor should it. Freeview is on a Digital HD platform so your Digital Tuner tunes the Freeview channels. Tuning Analogue will find nothing as there are no longer any Analogue stations to tune.

The Resources page has should have a lot of info for you but unfortunately the Link seems to be broken.

If your antenna doesn't look like any of these then you need to get a replacement. The old analogue ones work sometimes but are not ideal. If you are very close to Kaukau as you indicate you may only need an indoor antenna and I'm surprised you haven't been able to get a signal with the old antenna. I can see the big antenna on Waiatarua from my lounge window and was able to get a picture with just a short bit of wire stuck in the TV's antenna socket.

This site will explain Freeview for yo.

http://www.freeviewnz.tv/support/

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Permalink Reply by Bel @ Freeview on October 30, 2015 at 13:32

Cheers Biggles - just fixed that Resources link so should be behaving now - thanks!

http://freeviewforum.co.nz/page/resources

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on October 30, 2015 at 15:01

Yep, working now Bel.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle on October 30, 2015 at 16:07

Hi,

If you look at the image you can see we have two aerials on the roof mast. One old school, and the guy said the smaller lower one is a UHF one. To the right of them you can see the transmitter on the hill he said they are pointing at. He's trying to figure out why there is nothing going into the TV.

Hopefully we're sorted soon!

Cheers,

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Permalink Reply by forumuser on October 30, 2015 at 16:26

Wow! You have a great spot next to the transmitter! Let us know how you get on! :-)

Cheers, Joshua

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Permalink Reply by Biggles on October 30, 2015 at 17:14

Well if that is Kaukau in the background then the UHF antenna is the wrong polarity. It needs to be horizontal. However being that close to the mast you should just about be able to get a picture with nothing plugged into the TV.

And is it just bad perspective in the photo or are those antennae pointing the wrong way? They seem to be pointing away from the house and not at the mast on the hill.