Digital changeover

[Gower]

I have a Sony KDL20S3020 TV set bought 18 months ago to be ready for the changeover which took place last week. I've followed all the instructions both on their website and in the manual to re tune the set and can only receive about 5 channels and they breakup badly. Having done a web search, it seems that some Sony TV sets can't receive the new signals. I have emailed Sony but in the mean time has anybody any ideas?
Cheers,
Jim

 

[pren]

Hi.

Were you recieving more channels or better reception prior to the changeover?

I used to live in a poor reception area for freeview so I had to get a signal booster. The channels kept breaking up or dissapearing altogether.

 

[Gower]

Thanks Pren. I can see the TV mast from my bedroom window so I don't think that's the problem. Cheers,
Jim

 

[misterfish]

We have an identical TV and have had no problems with the retune, so unless the TV has developed a fault I don't think that is the problem. Sony can be contacted on 0870 511 1999.

Is the transmitter you can see a main transmitter (as opposed to a low power local relay) as it is possible you may have too strong a signal which can cause similar problems to a weak signal. You can get a variable attenuator for a few pounds to reduce signal strength.

What sort of aerial are you using? Have you tried an indoor set-top type as this can be adjusted and repositioned as required. In fact as you are so close to the transmitter you could try with a length of wire in the central connector of the coax socket!

Misterfish

 

[Steve Jones]

Hi Jim,

We have a Philips TV with built in freeview, since we've done the re-tune we're noticing a lot of sound break up especially on ITV 4, so it may not be limited to your TV.

We're on the Sutton Coldfield transmitter.

Steve

 

[OLD]

I have had some good results by retuning with the ariel disconnected then reconnecting and tune again also some equipment (humax box in my case) can be given a full reset via the menu and then retuned.

 

[Maia28]

I found half the channels dissappeared after the retune. It was solved by doing a factory reset and then retuning again.
Andy

 

[Gower]

Thank you boys for your suggestions. After buggering about all this am, I'm
pretty sure it's aerial related so I'll try and get hold of the local bloke in the morning.
Cheers,
Jim

 

[yo_chuci]

was just gonna say its probably aerial related..

one of the issues with the switchovers is that all the people that bought digital aerials in the last few years to get freeview might now be over-aerialed (if that makes sense)
the digi aerials had to strip the digital aerial signal from within the analogue signal that it was being transmitted in... hence when the analogue signal is turned off the digital signal is stronger and bang... too much aerial...(signal)
you might be able to lower the signal with attenuators or its smaller aerial time... probably.

thing is this might happen to lots of people all over the country, quite clever really as everyone who has paid out for a new aerial might have to do it again. and depending where you are in relation to a mast if you haven't bought a new aerial you might not need one after the switchover...

well done government

 

[llangatwgnedd]

ready for the changeover which took place last week.

Wenvoe doesn't go over to full digital until March 2010

link

Is that a relay transmitter you can see from the bedroom window? If so that wont go fully digital until Wenvoe is on full power.

 

[Argee]

Are you sure that you haven't just re-tuned the analogue signal and not the digital one? Easily done!

Ray

 

[Gower]

Sawdust, it's Wenvoe I can see. Interesting, your comment on being on low power until 2010. I'm surprised I haven't heard of more people having problems locally.

Ray, I re tuned both about a 100 times
Cheers,
Jim

 

[andycktm]

We've had freeview a while now and could never get bbc1,bbc2 and a few others.
We have a poor reception so i thought it was down to that,then i found out
they were on different frequencies and bbcs happen to be on a poor(?) one.
After reading this tread i went to the digi site listed and found out it
could be interference from the sky box.
So i unpludged the sky box from the power,retuned the digi box and low and behold perfect!!!!
Turned sky box back on and it ruined the picture on the digi box again.
Back at the digi site it tells you how to change the RF on the sky box,
did that and all the digi box channels + BBCs are perfect!!! Still can't believe it :shock:

 

[Argee]

Is the break-up snow or blocks and lines and do you get a hissing or a high-pitched squawk with the break-up?

Ray

 

[cambournepete]

... change the RF on the sky box

Why not use the SCART on the Sky box and not bother with it's RF output.
I never use the RF output on mine - there's no point.

 

[RogerM]

Initially when we retuned, we lost quite a number of channels, much to my frustration. However, on the advice of someone being interviewed on the radio, I first reset my PVR to "factory settings" and then retuned, and that recovered the lost channels. You do not lose any recorded prorammes by returning to factory settings, but you will need to re-programme any "record series" that you may have set up.

Also when the switchover came, the transmission power was increased. If you were in a previously weak signal area and using a booster, you may now be over-amplifying the signal, and this can disrupt the ability of your set to display good vision and sound - typically displaying dropout in both picture and sound. Ours sounded a bit like the Norman Collier "broken mike" routine. The solution was simple - disconnect the signal booster and bypass it completely.

Finally, in some cases, even with no signal booster, the signal can be too strong. In that case you may need a "signal attentuator" (the reverse of a signal booster) ,a bit like this one. A simple signal strength tester may help you here.