Freeview gone blank recently?

4$£&*(£$&*(! · 17 August 2008 at 6:41PM

This story I feel won't actually have taken full effect yet as you'll see why in a moment.

Last month the Freeview transmitter network had its Network Information Table (NIT) upgraded so more channels, along with additional transmitters and relays to improve weak signal areas, could be accommodated. However if you own one of these receivers -

Daewoo DS608P
Labgear DTT100
Triax DVB 2000T
Portland DP100

(Plus others may be affected - this list isn't exhaustive)

Your screen may have gone blank. I say may because as I explained whilst the upgrade work has completed, the channels don't go blank until you either initiate a manual scan or the unit completes an auto scan. That's the reason why I don't believe the full effects of this story have been felt yet.

I can only speak for the Daewoo unit with my experience over the past few days, but it's not good. Adam Mugford at Daewoo - [EMAIL="adam.mugford@desuk.co.uk"]adam.mugford@desuk.co.uk[/EMAIL] - has offered a DSD800M as a replacement for a goodwill price of £19.99. Hold on a second, this unit can be purchased from £23.59 new anyway, so I don't consider his deal to be much cop!

Here's the important bit though. Check your manual. Towards the back, mine says under the header 'Legal notices' that it is 'Fully DVB Compliant'. Additionally Daewoo registed this unit as DVB compliant with the worldwide DVB Organisation. So they really do believe it's fully DVB compliant. However the NIT update PROVES it is not fully DVB compliant or else you wouldn't have a blank screen now. That's why despite being older, the On Digital/ITV Digital boxes and all the rest still work since they are all truely DVB compliant.

Daewoo has stated to me this isn't their fault, it's the network change to blame, but my argument is we wouldn't be in this situation had their units been fully DVB compliant as claimed. This afternoon I threatened Daewoo Electronics UK with legal action to either replace my box for free, or I want a full refund for the £90 original unit cost plus court fees.

I strongly suggest others check if you have a Freeview unit that's turned blank you check to state if it boasts DVB Compliant then to threaten legal action against the manufacturer also. And if you have one of these units but have not done a scan, DON'T SCAN or it WILL go blank! Still pursue this course of action though as at the moment both the old and the updated NIT's are valid, come the next couple of years or so the old NIT will become invalid and so will your box.

We did it with ITV Digital by keeping their boxes, we can force these manufacturers to stop producing second rate equipment by passing it off for something it's not then trying to wash their hands of it when it's their corner cutting that's caused the problem. Please take action, don't just think there's nothing you can do about it.

Hungerdunger · 18 August 2008 at 12:29AM

Just out of interest, when did you buy it? Because in 2005 it was retailing for around £50 to £60, not the £90 you mention.

I don't know all the ins and outs of this problem, and I would probably be annoyed if I was in your position, but I also accept that technology moves on, and what was cutting edge five or six years ago is now old hat. Our original OnDigital box we thought was great when we first had it, but when we upgraded last year we realised what a pile of pants it actually was. For the £19.99 they are asking you to fork out, you may well get a much better unit.

Failing that, are you in a position to splash out on a PVR which will open up a whole new world of entertainment for you? The Daewoo DSD9502T gets good reviews. Perhaps you could persuade them to give you a good deal on it.

One final thought before you plunge into legal action: Does "DVB Compliant" mean it is compliant at the time you bought it, or does it mean it will be compliant for ever more? I wonder whether Daewoo may be able to argue that their statement was true, but is no longer true due to circumstances beyond their control.

Inactive · 18 August 2008 at 12:36AM

I think that the OP makes some very good and valid points.

Good post.;)

aliEnRIK · 18 August 2008 at 1:02AM

Nice one City. Hope you get what your after

PeteHerts · 18 August 2008 at 1:17AM

Obviously NIT didn't fully/properly test this upgrade before they sent it out so there must be a case against them.
I'm pretty sure if Microsoft sent out an update that ony !!!!!!ed XP machines to the point where your the end user had to pay for the machine to be repaired or upgrade to Vista then they could claim against Microsoft.

4$£&*(£$&*(! · 18 August 2008 at 7:15PM

Purchased around 2003 I believe, when it was going for £90. It's not on a company the size of Daewoo say 'yeah sorry about that... tough'. What happens when all the other Daewoo (and similar affected units) start updating and more people lose channels? I don't think we've reached that point yet as the boxes don't scan that often, as soon as they do it's goodnight Vienna.

But for Mugford to offer me something that's £3.60 under the market price as a 'goodwill gesture'? That's salt in the woulds and I intend to make an example of them! Daewoo - you're not on, let battle commence.

espresso · 18 August 2008 at 7:29PM

CitySlicker wrote: »

What happens when all the other Daewoo (and similar affected units) start updating and more people lose channels? I don't think we've reached that point yet as the boxes don't scan that often, as soon as they do it's goodnight Vienna.

I think that you will find that most people with these affected boxes will already know that they now own door stops, as some regions had their NIT update done in May and the update has now been competed across all regions. For any users who normally switched off their boxes, a new scan is the default setting on power up. Anyone who still has a working box can go into the engineering menu and change the default setting to not scan automatically, and they still work for the moment.

I found this Daewoo offer elsewhere on the net:

call Daewoo 0870 100 2525

and quote ‘Split NIT Affected Customer Offer’

DS700T SET TOP BOX for £19.99 (P&P included)
DSD800M SET TOP BOX for £19.99 (P&P included)
DSD9502TFP + 80GB HDD (TWIN DIGITAL TUNER) for: £67.99 (P&P incl )
DSD9503T + 80GB HDD (TWIN DIGITAL TUNER) for: £71.99(P&P incl )
DRT10 - DVD RECORDER + DIGITAL TUNER for £78 .99 (P&P included)
DSD9520 - STB with 80GB HDD - for £56.99 (P&P included)

Hungerdunger · 18 August 2008 at 8:03PM

DSD9502TFP + 80GB HDD (TWIN DIGITAL TUNER) for: £67.99 (P&P incl )

Leaving aside the argument as to whether this problem should have arisen in the first place, the offer for the DSD9502TFP sounds quite good if you compare it to the Amazon price in my previous post.

espresso · 18 August 2008 at 8:17PM

Hungerdunger wrote: »

Leaving aside the argument as to whether this problem should have arisen in the first place, the offer for the DSD9502TFP sounds quite good if you compare it to the Amazon price in my previous post.

DSD-9502T/9503T User manual available here for anyone interested.

4$£&*(£$&*(! · 18 August 2008 at 9:28PM

espresso wrote: »

I think that you will find that most people with these affected boxes will already know that they now own door stops, as some regions had their NIT update done in May and the update has now been competed across all regions. For any users who normally switched off their boxes, a new scan is the default setting on power up. Anyone who still has a working box can go into the engineering menu and change the default setting to not scan automatically, and they still work for the moment.

I found this Daewoo offer elsewhere on the net:

Problem with that offer is like for like, the unit I have as I pointed out in my first post can be had for only £3.60 more than Daewoo's offer anyway - hardly goodwill! My box is connected to a 'powerdown' so when TV goes off so does the Freeview box, meaning it goes off each time the TV does yet importantly it doesn't do a new scan on powering up. I haven't been into the menus to change this, this is as default on the Daewoo model.

No reply from Mugford today, get funny feeling my emails are possibly going straight to his junk tray for some strange reason

Never mind, I've emailed his colleagues so they're aware -

'simon.drought@desuk.co.uk'; 'spares@desuk.co.uk'; 'bwkoo@desuk.co.uk'; 'kam.nijhar@desuk.co.uk'; 'colin.millard@desuk.co.uk'; 'marina.eames@desuk.co.uk'; 'williamsa@desuk.co.uk'

And just so no-one misses the email from their inbox, I've trawled through the Daewoo European and Korean sites to email the head office in Korea, along with their European divisions in France, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Romania and Russia. Hope they realise I mean business and it's not on treating early adopters as idiots.

I hope others who face a similar situation are encouraged to join me in showing Daewoo they're not on with these actions and offering a discount of a whopping £3.60 on a new box that shouldn't be needed if the original was designed properly (as they stated legally it was DVB compliant - it isn't!).

Marty_J · 18 August 2008 at 9:49PM

I found this for you:

http://freeview.co.uk/features/transmission

Though you've probably read it already.

It doesn't sound as though you would have much of a case against Daewoo if the box stopped working due to circumstances beyond their control.

Freeview gone blank recently?

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