Have you heard of this Freeview problem?

[salymap]

Wouldlike opinion on this. Reliable Freeview box, in place from the beginning began 'playing up' a few weeks ago. The vital 'red button' to access other pages disappeared and other faults later followed.
Yesterday a new Freeview box was fitted by 'experts' and worked while they were here. Later new box developed all the same faults
Could it besomething to do with roof aerial,put in when Freeview started? Someone has suggested that all the rain could have affected it?
Throughout,5 terrestrial channels have worked perfectly.

[Dave2002]

Wouldlike opinion on this. Reliable Freeview box, in place from the beginning began 'playing up' a few weeks ago. The vital 'red button' to access other pages disappeared and other faults later followed.
Yesterday a new Freeview box was fitted by 'experts' and worked while they were here. Later new box developed all the same faults
Could it besomething to do with roof aerial,put in when Freeview started? Someone has suggested that all the rain could have affected it?
Throughout,5 terrestrial channels have worked perfectly.

Doesn't seem likely to be a hardware fault if the box is new - though don't rule it out completely.
Perhaps the most likely is that the aerial is now out of alignment, since it's been quite windy recently. This could make it hard to get a good enough signal to be reliable.

Sometimes pressing the red button doesn't work immediately as various other bits of stuff seem to need to be downloaded. It may be that you haven't given enough time for the box
to get its act together. However, this might also indicate a problem with the incoming signal to the box. Also check the cable in to the box - is the connector tight enough?
Take care though - I often just "do this", but user manuals often give dire warnings about adjusting cables with the boxes live.

You could try rescanning, to see if that improves things. Perhaps the box has warmed up, and settings have drifted slightly.

[mercia]

get the "experts" back is my answer
if money has changed hands don't they have a duty to put it right for you?

I had a message come up on my TV that the red button had moved and that I would have to re-tune to get it again

[salymap]

Doesn't seem likely to be a hardware fault if the box is new - though don't rule it out completely.
Perhaps the most likely is that the aerial is now out of alignment, since it's been quite windy recently. This could make it hard to get a good enough signal to be reliable.

Sometimes pressing the red button doesn't work immediately as various other bits of stuff seem to need to be downloaded. It may be that you haven't given enough time for the box
to get its act together. However, this might also indicate a problem with the incoming signal to the box. Also check the cable in to the box - is the connector tight enough?
Take care though - I often just "do this", but user manuals often give dire warnings about adjusting cables with the boxes live.

You could try rescanning, to see if that improves things. Perhaps the box has warmed up, and


settings have drifted slightly.

Thanks Dave, It won't do a scan either. To video BBC 4on
I have togoto A2 on video but now if I do thatthe Freeview channels revolve one after the other. And this is not much better, get rid of that yellow notice FF please

[Dave2002]

Is your TV a new one with an inbuilt Freeview tuner, or an older one without, or even a new one with no analogue tuner? Your mention of A2 suggests to me that you're not picking up the correct video.

With a newish set I'd expect an HDMI cable input, but older ones might only work with SCART. The TV needs to be getting the input from the right box.

Try resetting the video back to the factory default settings - and then retuning. That's usually possible, though I'm afraid you might have to read the manual!

One thing I would say, as mercia has hinted, sometimes the systems get altered or reset over night, so maybe that's happened. Do you leave the box on overnight?
Occasionally I'd say that could also go wrong, which is a bit of a pain. Also, as mercia mentions, if you've paid for a service, then get the 'experts' back to fix the problem.

There have been occasions where changes in the Freeview service have completely messed up some boxes, and indeed I have one box - which was very good - which just stopped
working and could not be reset as far as I could see. I tried several times - and I'd guess it doesn't have a hardware fault, but many manufacturers and the Freeview people just don't really care much about equipment more than a couple of years old. I don't think this has happened to your box though, if it's newish - as there haven't been too many reports of this kind of thing happening recently AFAIK.

PS: Try also unplugging the mains for a minute or two, then reconnecting. I don't just mean turning off - I mean actually pulling the plug out of the wall socket. Almost unbelievably this sometimes works when nothing else succeeds.

[Pianorak]

. . . Almost unbelievably this sometimes works when nothing else succeeds.

Indeed. Seems to work every time with my ancient Freeview box.

[scottycelt]

PS: Try also unplugging the mains for a minute or two, then reconnecting. I don't just mean turning off - I mean actually pulling the plug out of the wall socket. Almost unbelievably this sometimes works when nothing else succeeds.

Absolutely, as most electrical devices are computerised these days this can often do the trick as with any desktop computer/router. To make sure, I would also disconnect the other cables from the box as well as the mains lead before re-connecting. This almost always works for me with my satellite box and router when I experience such problems. It sounds so amateurish but it is exactly the first thing the professionals and 'experts' do in such circumstances .. a full reboot of the equipment!

As long as you make sure you remove the mains plug first and re-connect it last you won't come to any harm. That may sound slightly patronising and an insult to anyone's intelligence but it's easy to forget safety precautions in the rush to find a solution, as I once found myself fiddling inside a computer with the mains lead still attached ... not a good idea!

[salymap]

Thanks Dave, and mercia. Have tried unplugging and so on. Shall call men bck next week but I only called them in to fit the box which they did. I didn't know the Freeview channels had changed. My old Pace box, hich apparently was not at fault, was taken for scrap by the men I thought abouta new set but thought this would see me out, purchased about 2003, nice Toshiba 4x 3 screen which I prefer to widescreen.
No, I'm not touching any controls at the back ofthe set thanks

[Dave2002]

Thanks Dave, and mercia. Have tried unplugging and so on. Shall call men bck next week but I only called them in to fit the box which they did. I didn't know the Freeview channels had changed. My old Pace box, hich apparently was not at fault, was taken for scrap by the men I thought abouta new set but thought this would see me out, purchased about 2003, nice Toshiba 4x 3 screen which I prefer to widescreen.
No, I'm not touching any controls at the back ofthe set thanks

Sorry about your old Pace box - but that's the way it is these days. I hope you didn't get charged too much. There are doubtless many cowboys out there who will take your money, sell you something else, then disappear. Hope you don't have that experience and your people are genuine. Anyway, if things are dating from 2003, then I expect that they may really need replacing now.

I just get fed up with workmen who have absolutely no regard for the cost of parts, bits etc., which they rip out, and then replace, ready for the next man along to do just the same. Example - they'll happily fit a boiler which is too small, and then rip it out and replace it a few years later. Similarly with water tanks and other parts. I'm not talking about decades here - just a year or two.

Re your TV, I thoroughly recommend some of the Technika TVs from Tesco. The 19 inch widescreen ones which we bought not long ago are really good, and usually sell for not much more than £100, and they include Freeview. However you may want a larger set for more serious viewing - ours get deployed in the kitchen and in bedrooms. Most new sets can be configured to 4:3 if you really want that. Not actually sure what your Freeview box is - whether it's just a tuner or a tuner plus hard drive, or whether it's HD capable.

If the guys don't get your set up working again, I'd strongly suggest buying a new TV. which will probably take up less space, use less electricity, and have a better picture, and should not need external boxes - at least for a while - though no doubt next year's models will have HD tuners built in.

PS: Make sure the guys don't charge you more for coming back - it'd almost certainly be cheaper to buy a new set if they make a habit of this.
PPS: Re the channels changing - they're nearly always on the move - something changes most months, and sometimes there are major changes. It's all supposed to happen automatically, usually overnight.
Just occasionally it causes problems to some people, and sometimes it trashes a lot of people's kit. Sky has also been prone to this sort of thing on occasions.

[salymap]

Yes Dave expect it will come to new TV. Box is just tuner, no hard drive etc. Sight bad so for living room
will need 26" screen minimum and new stand to accomodate video and DVD. I like my big old TV 25" 3x4 and lovely picture on terrestrial.

It's growing up in the war: don't throw away things that work. Outdated idea nowadays though. Bws saly

[Dave2002]

OK - so if set works and you're happy with it, then keep that. You need to get a Freeview box which is actually up to the job and make sure that it's set up properly. Aerial positioning and alignment can be important, as also can the cables between the aerial and the set. I hope you're not trying to use a portable aerial by any chance.

PS: Again. An aerial amplifier e.g £10 or so from Tesco, might solve some problems. Easy to fit.
PPS: Notice that your original post mentioned roof aerial, so not a portable. The suggestion to use an amplifier might help though, or have new cable put in from the aerial down. The amplifier will be cheaper.

[Pianorak]

The picture/sound on my new 32” flat-screen TV with built-in Freeview sometimes breaks up (did last night for Cardiff Singer) – yet got a perfect picture/sound on my PC. Am I right blaming the weather? Terrestrial channels seem to be unaffected.

[Dave2002]

Pianorak

The £10 aerial amp from Tesco might fix your problem too. Our latest one has 2 outputs and a gain control. Turn the gain up till the block patterns stop.

[Pianorak]

Thanks Dave! Off to Tesco tomorrow.

[Dave2002]

Ok. It's not guaranteed, but heck it's only a tenner. You might need a fly lead as well. Usually they're not expensive - a few quid also from Tesco or Sainsburys, though if you can wait Amazon may have them cheaper. I do recommend the one with the gain control, and you don't have to pay much more than a tenner. If they've only got a cheap one without the gain control it might still work, but take it back if it doesn't. There shouldn't be any need to buy any of the more expensive models which as far as I can see don't have any more gain, but cost 20 quid or more. No doubt they'll take your money if you offer to pay extra!