How to sort channels and quick access 'Favourite' channel list on Web OS (LG C2 OLED TV)?

coolaboola · 19-03-2023 4:10pm #1

Howdy!

TL;DR:

Is there a way to sort the channels in the LG TV Web OS guide?
Is there a way to quick access Favourites lists?

More details below (this has been wrecking my head so a virtual medal and bragging rights for anyone who can figure this out!):

Setup:

I'm setting up my new LG C2 OLED TV (Model: OLED42C24LA). It is a completely vanilla set-up: Saorview Digital Aerial and Freesat satellite plugged directly into TV (no set-top boxes or other services) Tuned with location set to Northern Ireland (to pull UK channels and EPG)

I've got all the channels that I want tuned in (hooray!) but I cannot reorder the 'All' channel list (agh!)

Cannot Move Channels:

In WebOS -> Edit All Programmes (where, according to LG support, I should be able to edit channels)

For the Freesat channels there is a 'Move' option but when I attempt to move any channel I get the following error: 'programmes in the range of 101 to 0999 cannot be moved' (all the channels are between 101 and 999)
For the Saorview channels there is no 'Move' option at all.

Cannot Shortcut to Favourites:

I set up Favourite lists for my Saorview and Freesat channels. Great! Except it is a faff to access these Favourites: multiple pointing, clicking and scrolling to select sub-menus and filters. I tried setting a Quick Access button to access these Favourites (for example, long press 1 to access RTE 1) but it defaults to RTE 1 in the All channel list, not RTE 1 on my Favourites list. How do I set up a shortcut to my Favourites lists?

Current Fix (a bit rubbish really):

My current (unsatisfactory) compromise is to have

I've set both All lists to 'Skip' any channels that I'm not really interested in or are near-duplicates of other channels (like the SD version, when I have the HD version)
Quick Access 1 point to RTE (to access the Saorview All channels list) and
Quick Access 2 point to BBC 1 HD (to access to the Freesat All channels list)

That still leaves me either scrolling through a long and random list (especially for Freesat, where there are a LOT of channels) or faffing around to apply filters.

Any suggestions appreciated

P.S. I'm aware that other Boards members have posted about similar problems, but I haven't seen a fix for this yet... all ideas welcome.

Geedoh · 19-03-2023 9:35pm

I've had the same issues you have with an LG C2. You cannot move/sort the channels into your own list. One way of sorting would be to create a Favorites list and place the channels in the order you want them to appear.

To access e.g Freesat - go to a Freesat Channel and then press and hold down the Number 1 and it will ask you if you want to assign the Freesat to Quick Access Number 1. Then when on say RTE1 on Saorview - press and hold Number 2 on the Remote and it'll ask if you want to assign it to Shortcut Quick Access No2. Say Yes and in future when you hold Number 1 you'll get Freesat, Hold Number 2 down, you'll get Saorview. You can add whatever you like in this way up to I think 8. e.g HDMI 1, 2, 3 etc or USB access etc. Ther only issue I have with the Freesat Shortcut is that for some reason it loses the local NI setting and reverts to London for some reason even though I have a N. Ireland Postcode entered.

andy1249 · 20-03-2023 10:01am

I had the same issue setting up an LG for the parents.

The shortcut button presses will not take you to the favourites list , only to that channel in the main list whether it be saorview or freesat.

Favourites is also buried under two sub menus , not ideal for the parents who can never seem to find them.

Whats more , on any WebOS update , your favourites get wiped anyway , so even if you could do the above, it would only be good tiil the next update.

As it stands , they have gotten used to scrolling the main lists , that is not too bad with freesat and saorview , but it still would be nice to have a proper favourites list that didnt get wiped on an update.

Id be interested if there was a way to do this , dont think there is , but if anyone knows any different please do tell.

Personally I run an Enigma 2 box , which is much much better than WebOS.

coolaboola · 20-03-2023 12:04pm

Hiya @Geedoh and @andy1249,

Thanks for your responses. It looks indeed like Favourites shortcuts and sorting channels are features WebOS just doesn't offer. And the Favourites gets wiped on each update?! Agh!

For what its worth I contacted LG support and they have confirmed that

there is no way to sort the channels and
there is no facility to shortcut to Favourites. I've asked them to pass on feature requests for both to their product teams (for whatever that's worth!)

It seems like both of these (channel sorting and shortcuts to Favourites) should be possible... it seems like a pretty basic feature to omit. In the meantime I better strengthen my scrollin' finger 😁

(Does anyone else get the impression that WebOS is a bit half-assed?)

Geedoh · 20-03-2023 2:13pm

I really don’t understand the logic if there is any. It’s just easy to use an lg tv as a monitor attached to an external box. Anything more than that makes it a nightmare to use. Even text on Saorview doesn’t seem to work. The previous tv version allowed text to work and channel sorting. Seems like a step backwards. Can’t understand why they don’t acknowledge these issues and update the software to at least allow the users to choose.

Sigma101 · 20-03-2023 6:44pm

I've had the above problems with our LG C2 and have posted about them in other threads. Add to these the issue that certain streaming apps can't be used if "LG Services Country" is set to Ireland. I'm talking about streaming services that are otherwise not geo-blocked in Ireland such as All4 (UK) and ARD (Germany). You can work around this by changing "LG Services country" to the country of the streaming service but this messes up all your other settings and causes other problems. I'm already using separate boxes for streaming and for saorview channels. In short the screen is fantastic but the OS and user interface are complete sh!t.

Geedoh · 20-03-2023 8:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120380528#Comment_120380528

Couldn't agree more. Only for the fact it's a super screen, I'd dump it. Unless there's a big improvement through a software update, which I doubt will happen, it's a lost cause.

andy1249 · 21-03-2023 9:54am

Weve also got to accept that the fact that we in Ireland are in a unique and very weird position when it comes to TV reception.

Most of our content is stolen from an unavoidable footprint overspill from the UKs satellite system , and home grown content is an entirely different system to both the satellite and UK terrestrial systems.

And we need a unit that works with that frankensteins monster of a setup.

No smart TV covers all those requirements.

No Smart TV manufacturer is going to adjust their software for the "quirky" needs of a small country like Ireland.

The best option is a combo box for live TV and a smart TV for streaming apps , along with a VPN subscription.

Walker TVs cover it best , but its a walker TV .... LG TVs have best picture quality for me , but forget the onboard tuners , they are useless uneless you like tuning every single day.

Ive got an LG CX , an Enigma 2 box , and a NORD VPN account. That covers all the bases.

dxhound2005 · 21-03-2023 10:20am

It's not a UK satellite system, 28.2 East has footprints all over Europe. And people in Ireland can "steal" content from lots of other satelliltes, if they point a dish at them.

coolaboola · 23-03-2023 1:17pm

Thanks for your feedback folks. It looks like this is inability to sort channels and quick access Favourites is a gap in WebOS's features. I hope they introduce these features in future updates.

Technically both features should be possible. I know I'm going to sound like an oul' fart, but these sort of features (sorting channels, quick linking to Favourites) have been around since the year dot. In fact I got the LG telly when I finally gave up on my PC/Kodi solution (Kodi UI sucks donkey nuts, the EPG was unreliable and the PC was on its last legs anyway) and wanted as simple solution as possible.

Basically I wanted a solution as close to Windows Media Centre (WMC) as possible: reliable and easy to navigate (and properly sorted!) single EPG, TV recording, media player, all through one remote and no set-top boxes. Since WMC was sunset several years ago, nothing has reliably or completely replaced it, probably because of the widespread adoption of both smart TVs and subscription services. It's a pity, because there still seems to be a gap in the market for such a product.

dxhound2005 · 23-03-2023 3:02pm

Might be a fairly narrow gap. 700,000 Sky subscribers, many of whom might never have gone into their TV menus. And a lot would have uprgraded their TV's at various times. Those households could account for half of the population. Another group would be the old timers who only have an aerial, and watch a limited number of channels. Not interested much in Favourites, EPG's and recordings. And like you say there are the more recent subscription services, which are not the same as broadcast TV.

I have a LG OLED myself, but I never used it to tune channels. I have a FTA box, but don't need much in the way of anything other than watching TV. There should be a simple menu for the basics, but I don't think LG are on their own in making things complex. The classic advice is to call on a 10 year old, but I think even those experts would be defeated by the LG.

Geedoh · 23-03-2023 9:06pm

The C2 LG TV is in my opinion a step back. The previous version allowed channel sorting and Saorview Text in the Terestrial setup. Saorview Text doesn't seem to work even if setup is done under an Ireland Setup. Text is there and allows subtitles to display. Seems almost as if someone just couldn't be bothered finishing a bit of coding. As pointed out above, many just use it as a monitor for a Sky box and aren't aware of it's limitations which seem to be software related. Pity as overall it's a great TV and would be better if some of these issues were ironed out.

kala85 · 29-07-2023 7:08pm

is there any way to get the teletext to work on rte 1 or rte2

Geedoh · 29-07-2023 8:08pm

No way to get RTE Teletext to work with an LG C2. It's hobbled due to some book standards. Teletext (subtitles) does work across all platforms on it though. For such a quality TV, there are so many issues with it's Web OS it's a lost cause. The older C! version allowed channel sorting and RTE Teletext. So a step back with a new model and nobody at LG gives a damn. Great support. It'll be the last one I'll ever own.

Freesat now not only reverts back to London version, but also drops of the shortcut allocated to it. Requires a total rescan and after that it drops off again within a few minutes.

EugenesDIYDen · 26-08-2023 12:39am

Doesn't seem to be. I spent all day trying to get all sorts of things working on my LG and I reckon iit's the worst TV I've ever had. I bought it to replace a Toshiba but it has multiple problems. The frustrating thing is there's no way of changing between Saorview and satellite channels without pressing about twenty keys and navigating through menus. Also any other TV I've had was designed so that when you added a channel to favourites, the first entry was channel 1, the next one was channel 2 and so on. So it was easy to remember the numbers. The Toshiba was even designed so that selectiions could be made from both Saorview channels and satellite to add to favourites and the result was seamless without the necessity of switching between the two sources. Even if there was a button to do the switch (like on my Sony) it would help greatly. Also when you go to the filter, it doesn't even keep favourites as the program group and that has to be changed back too.

Harvey Norman, who I bought it from, told me that manufacturers are "dumbing down" TVs and removing features and connectors and the panels are lower quality. I tend to agree. My TV only has one USB connector. I need to buy an optical to RCA connector adapter to connect my external speakers (they've done away with the headphone socket I used for line out) and there'll be now way of powering it because there's no spare USB connector (I've used that for a memory stick). And the memory stick won't let me pause live TV, another one of the many problem with this model.

Geedoh · 26-08-2023 10:54am

I've done a bit more work on mine and it seems to be working a bit better. I did a full factory reset on it and then set everything up again. The freesat seems to now be working fine and not reverting to London as before.

To switch from Freesat to Saorview/Freeview quickly there is a couple of things you can do.

Create a shortcut on the remote. You do this by tuning e.g 101 on Freesat and then holding the number 1 (or whichever shortcut number you want to use up to 8 or 9 I believe) When you hold it down for a few seconds i'll add a shortcut to that channel to that number. Then change the TV to Saorview e.g RTE1 on 1 and hold down the number 2 button and it'll create a shortcut to 2. If you want to go straight to USB or a HDMI Port you can set up the fav shorts in the same way.
Another way is to e.g open Freesat or RTE1 and then press the Channel Guide. At the top RH Corner you'll see 3 dots. Point the magic Remote at them and it'll drop a menu which will allow you to split filter between Sat & Antenna.

It is a bit of a pain, but it works, particularly the numbered shortcuts. Press long 1 for Freesat etc or whatever way you want to set it.

Also if you long press 0 it will open those shortcuts and allow you to edit them.

Hope this helps a bit.

EugenesDIYDen · 27-08-2023 2:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121028895#Comment_121028895

That option to switch from antenna to satellite takes 17 key key presses unfortunately (I did count them!)

Geedoh · 27-08-2023 5:17pm

You press Guide. Point to the 3 dots at the top right and the menu drops down. Click on the Source and select Antenna or Satellite and it switches to the guide from the one selected. I make that 3 or 4 presses.

The shortcut using the remote numbers is just 1 press.

I'm not defending it as it's a poor design, but you have to try to mitigate it to do what you want in the easiest way you can.

Perhaps there is another way, but I haven't fount it yet.

hashirshabbir · 01-10-2023 6:19pm

Here is a suggestion from my end.

Create favourites lists for your Saorview and Freesat channels.
Assign a Quick Access button to a channel in each favourites list.
When you press the Quick Access button, you will be taken directly to the favourites list with the selected channel.

This is not a perfect solution, but it is the best workaround available until LG provides a native way to sort channels and quick access to favourites lists.

fire3198 · 21-12-2023 8:32pm

I’ve recently bought a LG smart tv. When you are on a favourite channel, press & hold the OK button for a few seconds, release & there was a mini menu with 3 dots to the right of it, I selected the 3 dots, selected Chanel 1 & back button. Now, when I press Chanel 1 on the remote, I get the favourite channel (BBC 1 HD) 👍🏻

andy1249 · 23-12-2023 10:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121181860#Comment_121181860

It doesnt stick ..... it will work a few times , then one day you press the button and it takes you to the channel , but its no longer your favourites list ( which is gone ! ) , its the freesat or saorview only list ......

simpsimp · 26-12-2023 6:20pm

Hi there - I read this thread with interest.

I have an ancient Samsung TV with Roku for IP and ZGemma H7S for Freesat + Saorview, I also use Plex to play back video over a local network from an NAS.

I had been looking at the LG C3 as I had heard that it had Freesat + Saorview tuner capability, and all the Roku apps I use on their App store, including Plex.

So I was kind of hoping to ditch the H7S and the Roku and just watch everything natively through the TV.

Am I correct in thinking that what I'm looking for doesn't really exist owing to Regional and Web OS quirks?

Is there any advice anyone can give me to find what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance!

How to sort channels and quick access 'Favourite' channel list on Web OS (LG C2 OLED TV)?

Comments