To watch freeview service on a Panny PZ85B do i need an external aerial ?. I have a v+ box which feeds my current TV, but no Aerial on my roof. What are my options to enable me to view the freeview channels
Freeview- Aerial needed ?
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You'll be wanting to get a High Gain aerial installed to pick up the freeview airwaves. Call a TV instalation company, they should be able to sort you out.
John Duncan
Well-known member
Well you'll see all the freeview channels from the V+ box - just depends on whether you may wish to watch a fourth channel when you're recording three other channels using the V+ box's triple tuners? In which case, above advice applies.
Actually you don't necessarily need a high gain aerial. In general you will be better off with a specific grouped aerial for your transmitter.High gain aerials get installed because it's easier/some installers don't really know what they're doing/customers have fallen for the hype and request it/they look funky/.....
JohnDuncan, thanks for the info, there are some channel's EG:- Skysports news channel, that are not available on Virgin
(at the moment, heard a rumour they may be comming back)
If Virgin do get these back, then I will probably not bother wit the aerial.
Do you know if the picture via my V+ box will be as good as the Freeview channel's or better ?
Thanks
(at the moment, heard a rumour they may be comming back)
If Virgin do get these back, then I will probably not bother wit the aerial.
Do you know if the picture via my V+ box will be as good as the Freeview channel's or better ?
Thanks
Mr Orange, what is a specific grouped Aerial, is this just a normal TV erial which will pick the signal from my nearist transmitter ?
John Duncan
Well-known member
Well V+ obviously has some (though not much) HD, so there's no comparison there yet. I haven't got a V+ box, just the SD service, and my Humax trounces it, if that's any indication - but then the Hummy trounces the freeview picture on my Sharp HD telly as well.
[quote user="smeghead"]Mr Orange, what is a specific grouped Aerial, is this just a normal TV erial which will pick the signal from my nearist transmitter ?[/quote]
Basically, yes. You need to know what group your transmitter uses, and whether it is vertically or horizontally polarised. Try this site, if you are unsure: http://www.ukfree.tv/starthere.php
Basically, yes. You need to know what group your transmitter uses, and whether it is vertically or horizontally polarised. Try this site, if you are unsure: http://www.ukfree.tv/starthere.php
[quote user="Mr_Orange"]Actually you don't necessarily need a high gain aerial. In general you will be better off with a specific grouped aerial for your transmitter.
High gain aerials get installed because it's easier/some installers don't really know what they're doing/customers have fallen for the hype and request it/they look funky/.....[/quote]
I have to disagree with this at least partially.
Mr. Orange is right in so far as you don't necessarily need a high gain aerial but its not true to say you need a grouped aerial either as Freeview in many areas uses a wide range of frequenices rather than the grouped frequencies used under analogue which is why most digital aerials are wideband. You simply can't get most channels under a grouped aerial on digital in a lot of areas. You need to find out if your area has the digital frequencies all in one group or if they're over several groups. Mr. Orange is right that if they are in 1 group then a grouped aerial will work better but in a lot of areas they are spread over several groups on the one transmitter. Also, a grouped aerial may cause problems if they change the grouping down the line - there are a lot of changes going to be happening to Freeview to enable the provision of 4 HD channels in 2009. I couldn't possibly comment on what these will mean for aerial groupings though. Just don't assume they will always stay the same unless the transmitter companies tell you that is definately the case.
About aerials and grouping: http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051054
On the high gain point, it all depends where you live. Some areas needs high gain, some mid gain, some low gain. Too much gain can be as bad as too little (at least with analogue - I don't specifically know with digital but the fact that aerials are grouped by CAI seems to imply this also).
My advice is to consult local installers and also try asking on this web site as the guy who runs "Briantist" seems somewhat of an expert:
http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051324
Finally, if you haven't already got an installation have you considered Freesat instead?
"Freeview is already the old analogue"
- Quoted from interview with Emma Scott Freesat director and former key player in the launch of the Freeview service!!!! :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/12/itv.bbc
Freeview is allegedly short on bandwidth and it appears it can allegedly only ever support 4 HD channels and even then allegedly picture quality will have to be reduced by 33% on SD tv in 2009 and to allow this.
Freesat has no such bandwidth problems, is stated to have 200 channels by the end of the year including several HD ones and is totally HD friendly for the future (if you get a HD box).
Essentially it seems Freeview has been left behind by developments in HD broadcasting which it appears its always going to struggle to accomodate.
High gain aerials get installed because it's easier/some installers don't really know what they're doing/customers have fallen for the hype and request it/they look funky/.....[/quote]
I have to disagree with this at least partially.
Mr. Orange is right in so far as you don't necessarily need a high gain aerial but its not true to say you need a grouped aerial either as Freeview in many areas uses a wide range of frequenices rather than the grouped frequencies used under analogue which is why most digital aerials are wideband. You simply can't get most channels under a grouped aerial on digital in a lot of areas. You need to find out if your area has the digital frequencies all in one group or if they're over several groups. Mr. Orange is right that if they are in 1 group then a grouped aerial will work better but in a lot of areas they are spread over several groups on the one transmitter. Also, a grouped aerial may cause problems if they change the grouping down the line - there are a lot of changes going to be happening to Freeview to enable the provision of 4 HD channels in 2009. I couldn't possibly comment on what these will mean for aerial groupings though. Just don't assume they will always stay the same unless the transmitter companies tell you that is definately the case.
About aerials and grouping: http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051054
On the high gain point, it all depends where you live. Some areas needs high gain, some mid gain, some low gain. Too much gain can be as bad as too little (at least with analogue - I don't specifically know with digital but the fact that aerials are grouped by CAI seems to imply this also).
My advice is to consult local installers and also try asking on this web site as the guy who runs "Briantist" seems somewhat of an expert:
http://www.ukfree.tv/fullstory.php?storyid=1107051324
Finally, if you haven't already got an installation have you considered Freesat instead?
"Freeview is already the old analogue"
- Quoted from interview with Emma Scott Freesat director and former key player in the launch of the Freeview service!!!! :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/12/itv.bbc
Freeview is allegedly short on bandwidth and it appears it can allegedly only ever support 4 HD channels and even then allegedly picture quality will have to be reduced by 33% on SD tv in 2009 and to allow this.
Freesat has no such bandwidth problems, is stated to have 200 channels by the end of the year including several HD ones and is totally HD friendly for the future (if you get a HD box).
Essentially it seems Freeview has been left behind by developments in HD broadcasting which it appears its always going to struggle to accomodate.
John Duncan
Well-known member
[quote user="Alsone"]Freeview is allegedly short on bandwidth and it appears it can allegedly only
ever support 4 HD channels and even then allegedly picture quality will have to
be reduced by 33% on SD tv in 2009 and to allow this.[/quote]
No 'allegedly' about it.
ever support 4 HD channels and even then allegedly picture quality will have to
be reduced by 33% on SD tv in 2009 and to allow this.[/quote]
No 'allegedly' about it.
Bandwidth availability plauges all "Over Air" transmissions since the dawn of Radio and TV. The higher the quality of the signal the wider the bandwith is needed to accomodate the signal hence one of the main reasons for the Digital switch over in the first place as there was no more room for new channels using the current system. This also applies with the likes of Sky and is one of the Main reasons as to why HD TV is not in 1080p as this would need alot more Bandwith compared to a 1080i/720P transmission.
Alsone
Thanks for all the info and links , I will be investigating further.
One other question when you mention Freesat, I thought all the channels that are to be broadcast on Freesat would be HD ?, is this not correct.
And therefore are not all Freesat box's HD compatiable ?
Thanks
Thanks for all the info and links , I will be investigating further.
One other question when you mention Freesat, I thought all the channels that are to be broadcast on Freesat would be HD ?, is this not correct.
And therefore are not all Freesat box's HD compatiable ?
Thanks
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