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My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound o

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+1, has no sound or the channel line up is wrong

My Freeview box has no EPG, is blank on FIVE, ITV3, ITV4, ITV2+
published on UK Free TV

To deal with the problem you must clear the channel list completely and then rescan - if your box has it in the menus, please the 'installation menu' to do an initial scan or a reset to factory settings or First Time Installation. You MUST delete the entire existing list of channels. On most boxes this technique can be also be used:

Try this:

1) unplug your Freeview box (or idTV) from the mains;



2) unplug the aerial from the Freeview box by disconnecting the cable from the 'RF in' socket;



3) wait 30 seconds;

4) plug Freeview box (or idTV) mains back in;



5) do a complete scan for channels - it will fail without the aerial. (This may be in the installation or initialization menu, and is distinct from any 'add channels option'). Once this is done your channel line up should be empty;



6) reinsert aerial by reconnecting to the 'RF in' connection;



7) do a complete scan for channels again.



The Freeview channel line-up provided by six "multiplexes" - each of which carry five or more TV channels, radio channels, text services and EPG data. In this diagram each ROW represents a multiplex. If you are still missing a whole multiplex (ie everything on the row) you may need to replace your aerial with a wideband type, purchase a larger aerial or you may have interference from a VCR, games console, Sky Digibox or similar.



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Comments
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
D
David Warner
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

10:35 PM
London

Together TV - - Freeview 83
I noticed today that this is no longer available on either of my Freeview sets.
The non-internet connected TV now comes up with a message saying "connect to the internet"
The internet connected TV (which works with Arise TV and all manner of nutty American Christian channels from Freeview 280 - 284) simply shows a Together TV "test card" - badly sized as well.

I have a brother in Swaffham Norfolk on the Tacleston tx and currently he can get Together TV via the internet - it apparently shows a revolving circle for a few seconds then starts up.

Why is it that in South London I can get 5 apocalyptic US evangelical channels predicting the enbd of the world, but not Together TV anymore?

MY POSTCODE IS SW9 8SE - I know you like to know these things.



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David Warner's 30 posts GB flag
David's: mapD's Freeview map terrainD's terrain plot wavesD's frequency data D's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 22 June 2023
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

4:54 AM

David Warner:

It has nothing to do with your transmitter or location, it is whether or not a particular set/box is "correctly" supporting a given streamed service. If the set isn't connected to the internet then obviously you won't get any streamed services.
I trust you've noted all the changes made on the 21st -
Latest channel launches and changes on Freeview | Freeview

You will probably find all the other streamed services on LCNs 261 onwards work although Channelbox LCN271 and Alaraby Network LCN279 may be temperamental about loading the selection you make!
Currently other services that stream outside of their broadcast hours should work, afaik there's only Create & Craft LCN85 at present, but as you know Together TV doesn't on some sets.
Should you not find the choice of streamed religious channels currently LCNs280-284 to your liking, don't forget TBN UK LCN66 (SD broadcast PSB3) !

At this point I'll mention HbbTV functionality. This is the "modern standard" for streaming, but not all streaming channels are using it either at all (in addition to MHEG) or exclusively (afaik) except LCN100 Freeview Play and LCN555 Accessible TV Guide, but Catch-up player functionality seems to work on the main PSB channel players.without HbbTV using the "Explore Freeview TV" App rather than LCN100.

At this point I haven't checked all the others, we don't know what other changes may have been made behind the scenes. They used to work but I'm currently having a problem with CBS Catchup & Legend (previous use suggest they go to the same servers) so that could be them rather than any change in functionality, so I'll check again later.

So on MY set Together TV+1 stopped working at it wouldn't stream, even with HbbTV on, since changes back in February, and now LCN83 doesn't stream with yesterday's changes.
Other oddities on MY set, Talking Pictures LCN82, I don't get the Red button show up on screen, but TPTV Encore does work.
Since yesterday's changes the new "Great TV player" Red button doesn't work for me on any of their 4 channels.
On MY set, LCN208 didn't stream when it was introduced (even though the separate App did), but started working a while ago.

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Chris.SE's 4,391 posts GB flag
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
D
David Warner
sentiment_satisfiedBronze

2:39 PM

OK maestro - channel 83 is now working for me.
Can you opine as to why TalkingPicturesTv use their own catchup service - which work on my HiSense Tv but not on my Seiko TV? Though it does also work on the plain old internet
TPTV Encore | Talking Pictures TV

There is a comprehensive Freeview catchup service now - but not for TPTV (or Together TV).

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David Warner's 30 posts GB flag
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

3:38 PM

David Warner:

No change here for me. AFAIK it's still under investigation. I've not heard any outcome.
Apps cost money to produce & that's probably why they don't have one at present.
TPTV Red button has always worked for me since the start of the service even though the red button doesn't appear on screen. Have you tried pressing red anyway?

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Chris.SE's 4,391 posts GB flag
Friday, 7 July 2023
D
Doug
1:55 PM

Hello,

I'm struggling to get the BBC channels (or multiplex) to come through onto our box. If the coax is plugged into the TV from the aerial point directly, then I receive all the Freeview channels. However when I take it out and plug it into the box, I don't receive anything other than the PSB2 multiplex. If I then connect a splitter between the coax and the box, we sometime will get an extremely patchy reception to the BBC channels.

None of the self-help guides I can find on the internet seem to work. So any pointers would be most welcome (:

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Doug's 2 posts GB flag
Saturday, 8 July 2023
C
Chris.SE
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

12:48 AM

Doug:

It sounds like you may have a marginal signal for whatever reason, and your TV may have a slightly more sensitive receiver. That said, there could be a multitude of other reasons.

We need a full postcode to look at your predicted reception and which transmitter(s) you could be getting signals from.
How long has this problem been happening?
Did you change anything (including electrical equipment) around the time this started?

Some details about your aerial, coax etc would be a good idea. External or loft aerial?
How old roughly is the aerial? Is the coax the same age, does it look in good condition or is there any brittleness on the outer sheath?
Do you have any aerial amp/splitters? If so where is it located?

Are any flyleads - the ones that connect aerial socket/point to TV/Box bought out thin ones or are they made up using double-screened coax?
Have you tried swapping such leads or checking the plug connections.

Do you have any HDMI leads running close to the aerial leads?
Have you received a postcard from https://restoretv.uk ?

Look in your TV Tuning section for any figures (things like signal test?) that give the Signal Strength and Quality (or Error figures) for each multiplex's UHF channel, and post the figures for each.


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Chris.SE's 4,391 posts GB flag
Friday, 14 July 2023
R
Roger F C Alban
11:27 AM

Good afternoon, I live in Penarth and receive freeview from you mendip transmitter. I have noticed over the last few weeks that Skn news channel is not working properly and showing signs of week signal with the picture showing tearing lines with sound break up. The other main channels are working fine. Has anything changed at the Mendip site? What do I need to do to resolve the problem?
Regards,
Roger

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Roger F C Alban's 4 posts GB flag
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

12:24 PM

Roger F C Alban: The first thing to do is confirm that you are in fact tuned to Mendip, and not Wenvoe, which is in the exact opposite direction and could be being picked up off the back of your aerial.

The signal strength screen usually gives the tuning information. It should be tuned to UHF channel 33 (570MHz). If it is tuned to UHF channel 45 (666MHz) then it is tuned to Wenvoe.

The only other possibility as to wrong tuning is that the signal is coming from Stockland Hill. This isn't to say it is in any way likely, but if you find it tuned to UHF channel 22 (482MHz) then it's Stockland Hill you've got.

If it's tuned to the wrong transmitter then the next step is to correct this. It's always possible that it could be tuned wrong for other channels but they give good reception. You can check the full six multiplexes if you like, the list for Mendip is:

PSB1 [BBC One] = C32
PSB2 [ITV1] = C34
PSB3 [BBC One HD] = C35
COM4 [16 QVC] = C48
COM5 [Sky News] = C33
COM6 [12 Quest] = C36

There are six multiplexes, which are a single signal carrying multiple programme channels, e.g. all BBC standard definition are on PSB1. The above gives one such programme channel on the respective multiplex, written in square brackets, and this can be used to see what UHF channel is tuned. The UHF channel numbers are prefixed "C".

The six Wenvoe UHF channels, in respective order, are 41, 44, 47, 42, 45 and 39. Stockland Hill's are 26, 23, 29, 25, 22 and 28.

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Steve Donaldson's 261 posts GB flag
R
Roger F C Alban
2:20 PM

Roger F C Alban:
Good afternoon Steve. Many thanks for your reply. Until recently, everything was working fine with no problems. All channels being received without any problem. A few weeks ago I started experiencing problems with Sky News. The other channels still being received OK. What has changed to cause the problem?
Regards,
Roger.

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Roger F C Alban's 4 posts GB flag
Sunday, 16 July 2023
S
Steve Donaldson
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

2:49 PM

There are a number of possible causes for said problem, and as such it's not possible to answer it definitively. It requires a methodical and experimental approach. It's quite possible that only once the problem is solved will the cause be known. By which time, of course, it might not matter.

It's not uncommon for a reception issue to affect one or more channels, but not all. It could be a faulty connector, water in the cable running from the aerial, a broken aerial, the aerial having moved and is not facing the right way, or something in the path between the transmitter and receiving aerial. There are other possibilities.

The question then is not what is the cause? but what could the cause be? Being that there are many potential causes, it is probably not possible to take action that would be expected to cure the problem prior to having taken it. One has to be mindful of this. Initiative and some lateral thinking may be invaluable.

That reception was previously good is not evidential fact that the TV is tuned correctly. The self-evident fact is that reception was good previously according to how it was tuned at that time it is not proof positive of tuning being correct.

If the tuning is found to be correct by way of a check, then this is proof-positive that what is on the screen is what is intended to be. If it is not, then the course of action is to correct it.

If the tuning is correct, what might the next course of action be? You might go to your front window and look out. You turn your head a little to the right and you might see a tree in the pavement on the opposite side of the road.

The aerial may be facing the tree which is in the direction of the Mendip transmitter. This tool allows you to put two pins on a map and joins them with a line. With a line drawn from the transmitter to your aerial and satellite image showing, the line might go straight through the canopy of the tree:

Solwise - Surface Elevation Tool | Solwise Ltd

This doesn't mean the reception difficulty is caused by the tree which might exist, but it looks like it might be worth investigating. The hypothesis for the tree being the cause of the difficulty, and only so in the last month or so, is that the tree grows and being summer it has all its leaves.

How might you find out whether it may be the tree affecting reception? I said you need to use initiative. It is currently windy outside, and this may just be very useful here. As the canopy moves, the effect on the signals will move too.

This could be affecting reception on other channels, even where a steady picture is resolved. If there is a tree in line with the aerial, then observing the signal strength screen might be very useful indeed, on all UHF channels, not just C33 (the Sky News one). If the signal strength and/or quality is seen to fluctuate when the wind blows and the branches of the tree move and settles when it is not then that is a very strong pointer to something wind-related and probably the tree, providing there aren't any others.

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Steve Donaldson's 261 posts GB flag
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