The Great FREEVIEW Robbery - what a con! Cynical Channel Snatch more like...FREESAT RULES!

[admin_exported]

Well, it looks like the fog is clearing. After this month's compulsory re-tune of FREEVIEW, I find that in my area SE Essex, the re-tune was just a cynical scam to remove all the FREEVIEW channels from analog aerial availability. Yup, they've all gone, BBC 4 and ITV 1, 3 & 4, Dave, etc. etc. All that is left is the bog-standard BBC 1, 2, 3 and a few other low budget zero interest channels (BBC Parliament anyone?). We were advised to retune over and over again for the first few days in case of any problems. What a total waste of time. What a cynical dishonest PR stunt by these comedians.

After the initial alleged confusion following the retune, (the helpful website was down, the phone help lines ditto) FREEVIEW have now 'fessed up as you can see from this link page - BEFORE RETUNING DAY http://www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/Channels

and (we wuz robbed) AFTER RETUNING DAY http://www.freeview.co.uk/availability/main/display/coverage/SS0+9DJ/15/0/ikqt7eoc2cdld9v8vhp889ogv2

NOTE THAT we will be able to view all of those greyed-out channels in 2011. For a small one-off fee. What's the betting that this seemingly innocuous sentence will be the wedge that drives 'necessary' market re-alignment charges once we've forgotten how much the box or the tv with Freeview cost us.

Watch this space in 2011 - Freeview will seamlessly morph into Nearly Freeview, or CheapView, or EconoTV as a nominal subscription on the lines of Virgin Basic or Sky Basic will be introduced.

My solution - bought a cheap Freesat box, plugged in to existing dish, and most channels are back except for Dave.

 

[The_Lhc]

And you know what? THEY DID IT JUST TO ANNOY YOU!1!!

Those b&%@^*s!

 

[Sorreltiger]

I've just checked for my sister's house in East Kent - no ITV1 or Channel4, let alone some of the "extras" until 2012. I'm astonished!

 

[Anonymous]

It's like Freeview never happened - back to what we had before from the basic aerial.

It must be part of some devious plot: looking ahead to the digital changeover technophobes, preparing a sort of sugar coated pill to soften the shock of having to go digital - "sure you've got to buy a box or new tv but look at all the extra programs you'll get". Clearly this wouldn't be an argument if everyone was already getting the extra channels. So they've taken them away, under the guise of widening access to Channel 5. Is this the same Channel 5 so deep in financial crisis it was about to be absorbed into ITV? Hmm.

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

If it is true,then Essex Serendipity rules.

 

[Anonymous]

WHOOAH!, this gets spookier and creepier.

I kid you not: half a mile up the road, heading west towards London, my friends have experienced no difficulty with the so-called re-tune. They still get all the channels they are used to receiving on (sic) FREEVIEW.

How's that work then? I'll tell you. Type in my postcode and you'll get the result as linked above in this thread - briefly nothing worth watching that you wouldn't have got from an old time aerial and tv.

Half a mile up the road to affluent Leigh on Sea (SS9 instead of SS0) and what do we have here then? Take a look. http://www.freeview.co.uk/availability/main/display/coverage/SS91AA/NA/5/kv40eiecjvg5k9ujn5ps8cq5b4

I rest my case.

 

[John Duncan]

It's a bourgeois conspiracy I tell you. You can just hear Marie Antoinette - "Let them watch Dave!"

 

[The_Lhc]

Jebus 8 Crisps, if it's only half a mile turn your aerial round to point to the same transmitter as the people up the road and you'll get the same channels they do.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm...interesting thought that - although I won't be climbing the roof anytime soon!

So - the Freeview postcode drop down list on their website is assuming I (being half a mile east of my friends) will receive my signal from the Anglia (Sudbury) transmitter, whereas my friends get theirs from the Crystal Palace transmitter. That's a relief...

Except that the Digital UK website says that an identical full range of program channels including Dave is to be expected from Anglia/Sudbury after the Channel 5 retune. Which is clearly not the case.

 

[Anonymous]

I get the full range of channels from the Sudbury transmitter. I am only about 15 miles from it though, not sure if that makes a huge amount of difference.

 

[The_Lhc]

Could well do, especially if you're still using an old analogue aerial.

 

[Anonymous]

That would make sense - the aerial on the roof is old and cheapest of the cheap.

On the other hand it has been happily providing me with dozens of Freeview programs for the last couple of years. As I understand it, the retuning operation has assigned different frequencies for all the channels, which may well affect the elderly aerial's capacity to receive them: but it doesn't explain why the Freeview 'postcode lottery' now just states that I won't be able to receive all the extras until 2011. Here's my point - the Freeview website doesn't ask me what kind of aerial I've got: I could have the fanciest multi element glistening from my rooftop, and the Freeview website would still say -'sorry, not til 2011'. It's just a postcode thing. And it stinks.

 

[Dave_]

I would suggest people have a read of the Professional Aerial Riggers Against the Shark's website it may help with understanding DSO and debunk some misconception's....

 

[laserman16]

daveh75:I would suggest people have a read of the Professional Aerial Riggers Against the Shark's website it may help with understanding DSO and debunk some misconception's....

What a super site.

 

[PJPro]

HNev, is it sensible to link to a page containing your address?

 

[PJPro]

I'm struggling to believe that Freeview in your area does not provide ITV and Channel 4. Seems bizarre to me.

 

[Anonymous]

Not MY address! But thanks for your concern.

 

[Cliff1]

I must be luckier than some.

I did the retune & reception from CH.5 & BBC4 was unwatchable,they had previously been fine.I did another retune & that fixed both.

I retuned for 2 elderly neighbours & theirs were fine first time.

There are many i never look at, but so far as i can tell i haven't lost any,i'm getting Quest & CNN now & don't think that they were previously available.

My signal comes from Winter Hill.