Loss of terrestial TV signal, what to do?

Magenta

Hi all,

My neighbour is a retired gentlemen and at the moment he only has the five or six basic channels. He does not have a computer and gets his telephone through BT.

What is the best/least expensive thing for him to do when the terrestial signal is turned off so that he can continue to watch TV?

Thanks for all help and answers.:)

broxiebear1

Magenta wrote: »

Hi all,

My neighbour is a retired gentlemen and at the moment he only has the five or six basic channels. He does not have a computer and gets his telephone through BT.

What is the best/least expensive thing for him to do when the terrestial signal is turned off so that he can continue to watch TV?

Thanks for all help and answers.:)

buy a freeview set top box if he can get freeview

Kurtis_Blue

Probably just needs a cheap freeview stb and may not need to pay a bean.

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/helpscheme/hs_home.html

Magenta

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

Probably just needs a cheap freeview stb and may not need to pay a bean.

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/helpscheme/hs_home.html

Hi Kurtis thanks for the link.:beer:

He is 71 so does not qualify for this scheme, you have to be 75 or over.
I will have a look at Freeview boxes for him.

How can I find out if he can use a Freeview box in our area?

Thanks again for both replies.:)

Magenta

Magenta wrote: »

Hi Kurtis thanks for the link.:beer:

He is 71 so does not qualify for this scheme, you have to be 75 or over.
I will have a look at Freeview boxes for him.

How can I find out if he can use a Freeview box in our area?

Thanks again for both replies.:)

I have found a great link about Freeview reception etc on a nother thread 'Leaving Virgin TV.......'

macman

Magenta wrote: »

Hi Kurtis thanks for the link.:beer:

He is 71 so does not qualify for this scheme, you have to be 75 or over.
I will have a look at Freeview boxes for him.

How can I find out if he can use a Freeview box in our area?

Thanks again for both replies.:)

You can get a basic Freeview box in Tesco/Argos for about a tenner upwards...
Do a postcode check on the Freeview site for reception/switchover info.
http://www.freeview.co.uk/
He will most likely need a roof-top aerial though-not a set-top one.

Magenta

macman wrote: »

You can get a basic Freeview box in Tesco/Argos for about a tenner upwards...
Do a postcode check on the Freeview site for reception/switchover info.
http://www.freeview.co.uk/
He will most likely need a roof-top aerial though-not a set-top one.

Thanks Macman, that is the link I used from another thread to see if he can get Freeview, he can according to them and he does have a roof top aerial:beer:

I am a bit surprised that he only needs to buy a Freeview set top box after the signal is turned off, I thought that the whole thing was much more complicated than that!!!!:eek:

macman

Why wait until the signal is turned off? Do it and he can have 40+ channels now. The boxes won't get any cheaper...

[Deleted User]

The problem with freeview is that imo the signal is not reliable. My mother has freeview and in bad weather, she loses it completely and sometimes even in good weather conditions, she gets a sort of clicking noise and the picture breaks up (like a jigsaw puzzle), but then comes back within a couple of seconds. As far as I know, her area (London) has strong freeview coverage. Not very impressed with freeview - perhaps freesat is better.

macman

[quote=[Deleted User];38796820]The problem with freeview is that imo the signal is not reliable. My mother has freeview and in bad weather, she loses it completely and sometimes even in good weather conditions, she gets a sort of clicking noise and the picture breaks up (like a jigsaw puzzle), but then comes back within a couple of seconds. As far as I know, her area (London) has strong freeview coverage. Not very impressed with freeview - perhaps freesat is better.[/QUOTE]

Does she have a correctly aligned rooftop aerial?
Satellite reception can also be subject to weather-related interference, e.g heavy rain and snow may affect it.

the_big_fact_hunt

if the analogue signal is still being broadcast in your area, dont worry about the latest sooper dooper aerial, the power for the analogue signal will be transferred to the digital broadcast when it is switched off, which will then have an excellent signal strength