TV's working with Saorview - The List

GiftGrub100

Help required, have a friend looking at this TV in Argos

Sony Bravia EX310BU for €220.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&productId=319502

according to

http://www.saorview.ie/product/sony/

the EX310 is Saorview approved, however the BU bit at the end of the model name does that change anything ?

main reason for the question is Argos say freeview, would have thought if its Saorview they would be advertising it as such.

Have looked through the posts and could not see this set mentioned already.

Would anyone know if it is Saorview ?, can't find tech specs on sony.ie

EDIT:

Found tech specs, had a Homer Simpson moment.

According to

http://www.sony.ie/product/tv-55-22-lcd/kdl-22ex310#/Overview

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4288091112.pdf

page 2 and 40

Any functions related to Digital TV
( ) will only work in countries or
areas where DVB-T (MPEG-2 and
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) digital terrestrial
signals are broadcast or where you have
access to a compatible DVB-C (MPEG-
2 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) cable
service

winston_1

GiftGrub100 wrote: »

Help required, have a friend looking at this TV in Argos

Sony Bravia EX310BU for €220.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&productId=319502

according to

http://www.saorview.ie/product/sony/

the EX310 is Saorview approved, however the BU bit at the end of the model name does that change anything ?

main reason for the question is Argos say freeview, would have thought if its Saorview they would be advertising it as such.

Have looked through the posts and could not see this set mentioned already.

Would anyone know if it is Saorview ?, can't find tech specs on sony.ie

EDIT:

Found tech specs, had a Homer Simpson moment.

According to

http://www.sony.ie/product/tv-55-22-lcd/kdl-22ex310#/Overview

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4288091112.pdf

page 2 and 40

Any functions related to Digital TV
( ) will only work in countries or
areas where DVB-T (MPEG-2 and
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) digital terrestrial
signals are broadcast or where you have
access to a compatible DVB-C (MPEG-
2 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) cable
service

The letters at the end usually refer to the country or region it is designed for.

That manual you linked to is clearly for the UK. Whether it will work properly on Saorview is debateable. If it was approved I would expect Argos to say so.

winston_1

wnolan1992 wrote: »

I'm looking at 3 TV's on argos.ie. Two say "Freeview", and one says "Saorview", so I'm just wondering is it only the one that actually says Saorview that will pick up Saorview?

Toshiba 22DL504B

Bush 22 Inch Full HD1080p Saorview Back-Lit LED TV

Bush 22 Inch Full HD 1080p Freeview LED TV DVD Combi

I've no idea how to tell the difference between what tuners they have...

EDIT: Ok, an older thread says the Toshiba is MPEG2 only... which from reading I gather isn't Saorview. Dang.

For a start it is nothing to do with the tuners. It's the decoders that make a difference.

If Argos don't say Saorview and they are not on the Saorview approved list don't bother. Even if Argos do say Saorview I would take it with an enourmous pinch of salt. After all they claim those two Bush sets have DAB built into them. Argos are either deliberatly lying or are hopelessly mis-informed as they don't have DAB.

wnolan1992

winston_1 wrote: »

For a start it is nothing to do with the tuners. It's the decoders that make a difference.

If Argos don't say Saorview and they are not on the Saorview approved list don't bother. Even if Argos do say Saorview I would take it with an enourmous pinch of salt. After all they claim those two Bush sets have DAB built into them. Argos are either deliberatly lying or are hopelessly mis-informed as they don't have DAB.

Meant to get back to this. I bought the Bush DVD Combi one I linked and it works fine with Saorview. I just assumed that both Bush sets would have the same decoder since they seemed to be basically the same set except one had a DVD player... probably a risk doing that, but it paid off.

winston_1

wnolan1992 wrote: »

Meant to get back to this. I bought the Bush DVD Combi one I linked and it works fine with Saorview. I just assumed that both Bush sets would have the same decoder since they seemed to be basically the same set except one had a DVD player... probably a risk doing that, but it paid off.

And, does it receive DAB as Argos claim?
Even if you are not in a DAB reception area there should be a DAB tuning menu.

wnolan1992

winston_1 wrote: »

And, does it receive DAB as Argos claim?
Even if you are not in a DAB reception area there should be a DAB tuning menu.

Not that I can see anyway. It receives the RTE Radio stations, but I'm assuming they come with Saorview.


Just had a quick look through the menus there, no mention of DAB whatsoever.

marno21

Pointless having a DAB tuner in a Saorview TV considering all the stations are on Saorview and it would require an additional antenna for duplicated services.

EDIT: Perhaps the DAB tuner is disabled in the Ireland country option, it might be available in the UK country option?

Or perhaps it's a typo.

wnolan1992

marno21 wrote: »

Pointless having a DAB tuner in a Saorview TV considering all the stations are on Saorview and it would require an additional antenna for duplicated services.

EDIT: Perhaps the DAB tuner is disabled in the Ireland country option, it might be available in the UK country option?

Or perhaps it's a typo.

I'll take a look later on, will reinstall it and set it to UK and see how we go. But if it had a DAB tuner surely it wouldn't be pointless? It was my understanding that the attraction of getting a DAB radio was 1000's of stations, not just RTE's extra stuff?


EDIT: I just tried, changing it and (as I expected) it didn't change anything.

Gerry Wicklow

winston_1 wrote: »

....
If Argos don't say Saorview and they are not on the Saorview approved list don't bother. Even if Argos do say Saorview I would take it with an enourmous pinch of salt. After all they claim those two Bush sets have DAB built into them. Argos are either deliberatly lying or are hopelessly mis-informed as they don't have DAB.

Argos aren't the only retailers who confuse ( knowingly or otherwise) DAB and digital radio via SaorView. I have heard it in several countrywide retail chains who should know better.

winston_1

marno21 wrote: »

Pointless having a DAB tuner in a Saorview TV considering all the stations are on Saorview and it would require an additional antenna for duplicated services.

EDIT: Perhaps the DAB tuner is disabled in the Ireland country option, it might be available in the UK country option?

Or perhaps it's a typo.

Whether it is pointless or not is immaterial. They have stated that it does so therefore it has to as products must be as described. Disabling it with Irish country option is not allowed either as it is in an Irish catalogue.

Some time ago I had a question and answer session with Argos UK about another Bush set they claimed had DAB. It went like this:

ME. Does this TV really support DAB?

THEM. Hello, thank you for your question.

Having spoken to Argos technical helpline regarding your query, I can confirm the Bush 42 Inch 3D Full HD Freeview LCD TV with 3D Glasses does have radio channels, from the Freeview tuner.

Thank you for using Argos Q&A.

ME. I asked "Does this TV really support DAB ?"
#
You replied "I can confirm the Bush 42 Inch 3D Full HD Freeview LCD TV with 3D Glasses does have radio channels, from the Freeview tuner."

That is not DAB . It is DVB-T radio.
I ask again "Does this TV really support DAB as you claim?"

The next reply took a week so I assume they researched it.

THEM. Thank you for your question.

After looking into your query, I can confirm that the Bush 42 Inch 3D Full HD Freeview LCD TV with 3D Glasses does support DAB radio.

Thank you for using Argos Q&A.


So there we have it. Bare faced lies from the horses mouth, definately not a typo.

marno21

wnolan1992 wrote: »

I'll take a look later on, will reinstall it and set it to UK and see how we go. But if it had a DAB tuner surely it wouldn't be pointless? It was my understanding that the attraction of getting a DAB radio was 1000's of stations, not just RTE's extra stuff?


EDIT: I just tried, changing it and (as I expected) it didn't change anything.

DAB radios in the UK pick up extra stations depending on area, but in Ireland, the only channels on the DAB multiplex are the RTE ones (apart from the South East test multiplex).

In your neck of the woods, there's no DAB regardless.

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Argos aren't the only retailers who confuse ( knowingly or otherwise) DAB and digital radio via SaorView. I have heard it in several countrywide retail chains who should know better.

I've seen retailers selling "Saorview" compatible TVs with just MPEG2 tuners. Confusing DAB with radio over DVB-T isn't that bad, seeing as the average user wouldn't notice considering the DAB and Saroview radio lineups are identical.

Gerry Wicklow

marno21 wrote: »

...
I've seen retailers selling "Saorview" compatible TVs with just MPEG2 tuners. Confusing DAB with radio over DVB-T isn't that bad, seeing as the average user wouldn't notice considering the DAB and Saroview radio lineups are identical.

What if you are in range of UK DAB and find you've been sold a pup.

@Winston_1
I had a very similar experience with a Argos over a Satnav that didn't do half the things they claimed.

winston_1

marno21 wrote: »

I've seen retailers selling "Saorview" compatible TVs with just MPEG2 tuners. Confusing DAB with radio over DVB-T isn't that bad, seeing as the average user wouldn't notice considering the DAB and Saroview radio lineups are identical.

Rubbish. Part of a retailers job is to know about the products he is selling and to be able to advise his customers correctly. That's why the customer pays the large markups over the trade price.

rai555

Hi, i bought LG42LW650T tely and could not pick up Saorview at all. It is from one of major chain retailers and i even did not considered it would be not so much use. I'm in Co Cork and my other TV gets Saorview channels with 10cm aerial attached to the back of TV.

On the box of TV it is written Freeview but same no luck, again i have a pleasure of plenty channels with older TV but not the new one.

I'm wondering should i just return TV to the shop before my 14 days period runs out ?
Many thanks for thoughts

_Kaiser_

I recently picked up an LG 42LG2000 second hand and while it has a digital tuner and can receive the Saorview channels, they're coming in with audio only meaning it only has an MPEG2 tuner (right?)

There is a CAM slot on the side though. Can anyone recommend a compatible one that won't break the bank and where to buy?

Cheers!

_Kaiser_

rai555 wrote: »

Hi, i bought LG42LW650T tely and could not pick up Saorview at all. It is from one of major chain retailers and i even did not considered it would be not so much use. I'm in Co Cork and my other TV gets Saorview channels with 10cm aerial attached to the back of TV.

On the box of TV it is written Freeview but same no luck, again i have a pleasure of plenty channels with older TV but not the new one.

I'm wondering should i just return TV to the shop before my 14 days period runs out ?
Many thanks for thoughts

If you want Saorview then I'd say yes. Freeview isn't enough as I understand it. It has to have Freeview HD/MPEG 4 to work and MHEG 5 support for digital teletext (if you're bothered about having that)

Johnboy1951

rai555 wrote: »

Hi, i bought LG42LW650T tely and could not pick up Saorview at all. It is from one of major chain retailers and i even did not considered it would be not so much use. I'm in Co Cork and my other TV gets Saorview channels with 10cm aerial attached to the back of TV.

On the box of TV it is written Freeview but same no luck, again i have a pleasure of plenty channels with older TV but not the new one.

I'm wondering should i just return TV to the shop before my 14 days period runs out ?
Many thanks for thoughts

IMO .... Yes, return it, as unfit for the purpose. Demand a Saorview approved replacement.

The Cush

rai555 wrote: »

Hi, i bought LG42LW650T tely and could not pick up Saorview at all. It is from one of major chain retailers and i even did not considered it would be not so much use. I'm in Co Cork and my other TV gets Saorview channels with 10cm aerial attached to the back of TV.

Had a quick look at the spec and I think it has an MPEG-4 video decoder.

What aerial are you using with this TV? If you're using an indoor aerial move the TV to the same location as the other TV and try setting it up there, maybe you have little or no signal where you're setting up the TV.

The Cush

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

There is a CAM slot on the side though. Can anyone recommend a compatible one that won't break the bank and where to buy?

A compatible TV or CAM? If CAM there isn't one, STB required.

Ronnie Raygun

rai555 wrote: »

Hi, i bought LG42LW650T tely and could not pick up Saorview at all.

The 42LW650T-ZC is on the Saorview approved list.

"T" suffix on LG models generally signifies the presence of a Freeview HD tuner, so any tv so designated should at least decode the Saorview channels.

Undoubtedly, for peace of mind you're better off with Saorview approved.

rai555

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

The 42LW650T-ZC is on the Saorview approved list.

"T" suffix on LG models generally signifies the presence of a Freeview HD tuner, so any tv so designated should at least decode the Saorview channels.

Undoubtedly, for peace of mind you're better off with Saorview approved.

I will try move around the house the telly, and yes i would like freeview but did not succeeded yet to get it

rai555

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

The 42LW650T-ZC is on the Saorview approved list.

"T" suffix on LG models generally signifies the presence of a Freeview HD tuner, so any tv so designated should at least decode the Saorview channels.

Undoubtedly, for peace of mind you're better off with Saorview approved.

Not sure what ZC stands for

rai555

The Cush wrote: »

Had a quick look at the spec and I think it has an MPEG-4 video decoder.

What aerial are you using with this TV? If you're using an indoor aerial move the TV to the same location as the other TV and try setting it up there, maybe you have little or no signal where you're setting up the TV.

Will try this evening, the ariel is less than rabbit's ears but was ok for my Panasonic TX-P50v10 , delighted with this one - does saorview and freeview year N3

The Cush

rai555 wrote: »

Will try this evening, the ariel is less than rabbit's ears but was ok for my Panasonic TX-P50v10 , delighted with this one - does saorview and freeview year N3

You won't get Freeview in Co Cork. How well an indoor aerial works with Saorview will depend on signal strength/quality where you locate the aerial. Saorview recommend an outdoor aerial for reception.

rai555

The Cush wrote: »

You won't get Freeview in Co Cork. How well an indoor aerial works with Saorview will depend on signal strength/quality where you locate the aerial. Saorview recommend an outdoor aerial for reception.

The TV has satelite and digitak tuners, i can see Saorview and about 50 sat channels, and it is UK model BTW

Peter Rhea

Freeview is the UK terrestrial service, nothing to do with satellite.

rai555

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Freeview is the UK terrestrial service, nothing to do with satellite.

I might be wrong but it has Sat tuner and i can see plenty of Freesat channels

Peter Rhea

You're referring to the Panasonic? Freesat & Freeview are not the same thing.

Might have much the same channel lineup, but as is clear from the name, Freesat is delivered via satellite.

rai555

Peter Rhea wrote: »

You're referring to the Panasonic? Freesat & Freeview are not the same thing.

Might have much the same channel lineup, but as is clear from the name, Freesat is delivered via satellite.

You are correct, yes that's panasonic does the job but have no luck with LG yet

batistuta9

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Freeview is the UK terrestrial service, nothing to do with satellite.

do you know if freeview is being broadcast in the north atm or is it only going to be from october?

The Cush

batistuta9 wrote: »

do you know if freeview is being broadcast in the north atm or is it only going to be from october?

From 3 main sites now on restricted power - Brougher Mt, Divis and Limavady

The relays get switched-on Oct 10th with 1 mux, the other muxes on Oct 24th with analogue switchoff at the same time.

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch/northernireland
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/almanac/installer_newsletters_2009_pdfs/Northern_Ireland_12MO_Final.pdf

batistuta9

The Cush wrote: »

From 3 main sites now on restricted power - Brougher Mt, Divis and Limavady

The relays get switched-on Oct 10th with 1 mux, the other muxes on Oct 24th with analogue switchoff at the same time.

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch/northernireland
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/transmitternetwork/tools__and__resources/almanac/installer_newsletters_2009_pdfs/Northern_Ireland_12MO_Final.pdf

i live close to the border & get the english analogue channels now but i'am quite a bit from any of the main transmitters so i'm getting the signals from one of the relays i'd imagine.

so at the minute i probably shouldn't be able to pick up the freeview channels, It'll be october before i can pick up freeview, right?

Peter Rhea

Depends where you live, the only NI relay serving a significant no. of viewers in the south would be Kilkeel which is received in Louth & on down the east coast.

Most southern viewers receive from main transmitters, but the Freeview power is well down until switchover. You won't get all the Freeview channels reliably atm, unless your analogue reception is really good but some are broadcast with a more robust signal than others.

batistuta9

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Depends where you live, the only NI relay serving a significant no. of viewers in the south would be Kilkeel which is received in Louth & on down the east coast.

Most southern viewers receive from main transmitters, but the Freeview power is well down until switchover. You won't get all the Freeview channels reliably atm, unless your analogue reception is really good but some are broadcast with a more robust signal than others.

there are 2 relays far far closer to me though than their main transmitter, i don't live very far from the border altogether - or would that matter, would i still be getting it off the main one?

my analogue reception is good/OK, but i done the test - checking teletext page 284 on the analogue english stations - and it's always perfect.

see i recently got a new TV and during the initial setup the only digital stations it picked up were the saorview ones, but it picked up the analogue english stations. should freeview if available tune in with this or does it need to be manually added

Peter Rhea

All the NI relays transmit vertically polarised signals & the main stations horizontal, so that would be an indication of which you receive from, if you take a look at your aerial.

Ronnie Raygun

batistuta9 wrote: »

i done the test - checking teletext page 284 on the analogue english stations - and it's always perfect.

That test is designed to give an indication of how your aerial system will perform after switchover, it's of no relevance to the current situation.

batistuta9

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

That test is designed to give an indication of how your aerial system will perform after switchover, it's of no relevance to the current situation.

well isn't it of enough relevance to determine that i've no problems with my current aerial & should receive freeview from it

The Cush

batistuta9 wrote: »

well isn't it of enough relevance to determine that i've no problems with my current aerial & should receive freeview from it

Can you identify the UHF channels numbers/frequencies for the existing UK analogue channels you receive, it will identify your current transmitter/relay?

batistuta9

The Cush wrote: »

Can you identify the UHF channels numbers/frequencies for the existing UK analogue channels you receive, it will identify your current transmitter/relay?

how do i go about doing that?

i know what transmitter group i getting it from, I've checked on the freeview site & it's saying the 2 nearest relays won't be switched until october 10th

The Cush

batistuta9 wrote: »

how do i go about doing that?

Depends of the TV you have. If you know your nearest relays then no need to post the frequencies.

batistuta9

The Cush wrote: »

Depends of the TV you have. If you know your nearest relays then no need to post the frequencies.

yeah i doubt it'll able to show it although it does show the info for the DVB-T channels - well it says DVB-T CH47 on the menu when using the arrows to go through the list whilst still watching a channel - no info at all in the channel list from the menu, it's just for moving or renaming them etc.


another question will we get all the freeview channels over hear?

The Cush

batistuta9 wrote: »

another question will we get all the freeview channels over hear?

The relays will be "Freeview lite", only the 3 PSB muxes.

Ronnie Raygun

batistuta9 wrote: »

I've checked on the freeview site & it's saying the 2 nearest relays won't be switched until october 10th

Relay sites in NI generally only serve small pockets where coverage from the main transmitter is impaired & are usually low powered. It means nothing that they're closer to you than the main transmitter.

Obviously if you have a Freeview capable tv & no Freeview channels, you have no signal available for one reason or another. Only 4 months to go to switchover now anyway.

batistuta9

The Cush wrote: »

The relays will be "Freeview lite", only the 3 PSB muxes.

This is terrible news :pac: ,if i'am getting the signal from a relay

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

Relay sites in NI generally only serve small pockets where coverage from the main transmitter is impaired & are usually low powered. It means nothing that they're closer to you than the main transmitter.

Obviously if you have a Freeview capable tv & no Freeview channels, you have no signal available for one reason or another. Only 4 months to go to switchover now anyway.

going by this site http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051678 after the switchover or maybe even now idk:

Divis will serve 67%
Limavady 7%
Brougher Mountain 6%
with 43 relays proving 20% meaning just the 3 PSB's

Peter Rhea

Divis & Limavady need a fair few relay sites to cover difficult terrain in north Antrim & the Sperrins.

If your Saorview is on UHF 47 from Cairn Hill, there's a good chance your UK channels are coming from Brougher mtn., but even there the com. muxes will be a good bit lower powered than the PSBs & subject to interference from Divis.

This is getting a bit OT for this thread, as it's already been established that you have a Saorview (& therefore Freeview) compatible tv.

skint eastwood

Over here in Scotland my town and surrounding areas(approx 30,000 people) are served by a "relay transmitter" delivering Freeview "Lite", its a joke, we are 15 miles from Glasgow and this is the best they can offer? I have my Aerial pointed towards Darvel in Ayrshire (40-50 miles away) using a signal booster and can pretty much receive all channels, some fade and i manually re-tune my Technika STBHDIS2010 to get them back again,why should I be committing extra expense via boosters and another amp on my aerial just to be able to receive tv, I feel the DSO has been poor. Thankfully we have Freesat as our main viewing in the lounge.

winston_1

skint eastwood wrote: »

Over here in Scotland my town and surrounding areas(approx 30,000 people) are served by a "relay transmitter" delivering Freeview "Lite", its a joke, we are 15 miles from Glasgow and this is the best they can offer? I have my Aerial pointed towards Darvel in Ayrshire (40-50 miles away) using a signal booster and can pretty much receive all channels, some fade and i manually re-tune my Technika STBHDIS2010 to get them back again,why should I be committing extra expense via boosters and another amp on my aerial just to be able to receive tv, I feel the DSO has been poor. Thankfully we have Freesat as our main viewing in the lounge.

Really don't know what this has to do with this thread but:

Your relay transmitter gives you 15 channels which is nearly four times as many as the four you had before DSO. Getting those 15 channels to isolated places cost a lot more than getting all channels to Glasgow, London, etc; yet you pay the same licence fee as those people. You choose to live where you do, so enjoy it and stop whinging.

skint eastwood

winston_1 wrote: »

Really don't know what this has to do with this thread but:

Your relay transmitter gives you 15 channels which is nearly four times as many as the four you had before DSO. Getting those 15 channels to isolated places cost a lot more than getting all channels to Glasgow, London, etc; yet you pay the same licence fee as those people. You choose to live where you do, so enjoy it and stop whinging.

Excuse me but if we are all paying the same licence fee we should all be getting the same services. Your attitude is quite frankly appalling.

skint eastwood

PS Winston, I suggest you read posts properly, I stated I am 15 miles from Glasgow-in a town with 30,000 people, not exactly an "isolated" location

winston_1

As I said it costs a lot more to get a signal to a relay transmitter, yet you pay the same licence fee. That fee incidentally covers the BBC services which you do get. We would all like to live away from the city, even 15 miles, but many are not willing to pay for it; be it increased petrol costs, more expensive groceries in small shops, etc, etc.

On the plus side, no doubt your house and car insurance is cheaper where you are.

Freesat was provided for people in your position, it would no be difficult to supply it to all your sets.