Digital TV no longer works after Digital upgrade

loops298

I bought a Philips Digital TV approx 6 years ago. I have been using it successfully until the region became totally Digital last month.
On the first re-tune I lost all of the BBC channels, and on the second I lost the remainder of the 'common' channels (ITV, C4, C5 etc). I do have a PVR which is working fine so it's not my reception.

When I purchased the TV, I paid extra for it, the view being that it would take me into the digital age. It clearly hasn't. And I rather resent having to buy another TV, or a set top digital box to make the TV work.

Firstly I don't understand how, after using it successfully in Digital mode for the last 6 years, I can now no longer receive digital channels. Secondly I believe I was mis-sold it, as it no longer provides me with the ability to watch the main channels.

Do I have any recourse with either the shop I bought it from or the manufacturer??

2520years

I don't know about whether it was mis-sold, but perhaps our experience could help. We had exactly the same problem at switchover. We re-scanned a few weeks later and all the channels worked again. I can't explain why, but maybe that could happen to you..?

macman

It's because the digital standard was modified during the introduction and development of Freeview. So some of the early models were 'digital', but not fully Freeview compatible. Neither the manufacturers nor the retailers were to blame, as they could not have foreseen this.
The perils of being an early adopter....
However, since you have a PVR, you haven't really lost anything.

loops298

What has changed, the TV worked up until the changeover?

I do keep trying in the vain hope that my channels reappear, but I fear they won't.

Although most of the time I use the PVR, there are occasions where I am recording so cannot use it, the Digital TV was my fall back. Now I don't have one. And the idea of a Digital TV was to cut back on the number of boxes I have already cluttering up my living room, and to cut down on energy bills!

I am still miffed that I was sold a TV that was supposed to take me into the future and it hasn't. Why should I lose out because someone somewhere decided to change the standards? It seems like a good money making scam to me.

macman

PVR has twin tuners, so you can record on one channel and view another. Unless of course you've also bought a very early primitive single tuner PVR...
Even if the digital TV worked, it would not give you the PVR functionality.
It's not a scam, when Philips built that TV they had no idea that the eventual Freeview standard would change. Some of the early generation Freeview digiboxes have exactly the same problem.

Stompa

Presumably your TV is one of those listed here:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/21057/for_website_2K_only_models_ex_volumes_revised-Dec09.pdf

I think if you contact the manufacturer they'll simply tell you to buy a Freeview box to plug into it.

We're due to have the same problem at some point, though for the moment it's still working!

loops298

Macman - fortunately my PVR has dual channels, and much of the time I am able to use it, but there are occasions when I am recording two programmes and watching a third - yes honestly! I appreciate that the TV would never give me PVR functionality, that's why I got rid of the analogue video and bought the PVR. But the principle still stands, three weeks ago I could use my TV to view all of the digital channels, now the 'upgrade' has happened, I have lost many of them. And that frequencies that I can no longer receive, I was able to receive three weeks ago. I haven't lost all my channels, I am still able to receive many of the Freeview stations, but I have lost the BBC's and ITV's (apart from ITV3 which I can still get!). Had somebody suggested at the time of purcase that they wouldn't guarantee that when the country was converted to Digital my TV may not work, then I wouldn't have spent £700 on a Digital TV, I would have bought a £200 analogue TV and a Digital box.

Stompa - yes my TV is on that list.

I appreciate there are ways around the problem, but I notice there is very little publicity around telling you that your Digital TV may not work after conversion, only that your Analogue one won't.