# Freeview Set Top Box from N.I. & No Picture



## 149oaks (3 May 2012)

I recently bought a Freeview Set Top Box in Argos in Northern Ireland. Set up went fine and it tuned in TV and Radio Channels quickly. 

However all I have is sound for TV and Radio but no TV pictures.

Our Aerial is 20 years old and we have a number of TV's 1 of which is Digital enabled and it receives channels and displays the channels no problem. 

I bought this box for our older TV's but it's the same on them all i.e. no picture. Based on previous posts I thought there would be no problem with a box from N.I. There is no troubleshooting in the manual for this problem.

Can anyone offer any help?


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## Woodie (3 May 2012)

The original Freeview standard is not compatible with Saorview.  Saorview is a different standard MPEG4 MPEG5 which is more or less equivalent to Freeview HD the second generation of Freeview.   All these original Freeview boxes and TVs are not compatible with the latest technology which includes the Saorview rollout.  
You need to wrap up the product and get your money back if you can or part swap for a FreeviewHD option.


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## 149oaks (3 May 2012)

Thanks Woodie. So I should have bought a Freeview HD box? I didn't because it's for an old telly (8-10 years and there was no High Definition then) and I thought a HD box wouldn't work with it.

By the way if these Freeview boxes are not compatible with todays Technology then why are they still selling them now?


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## dereko1969 (3 May 2012)

149oaks said:


> Thanks Woodie. So I should have bought a Freeview HD box? I didn't because it's for an old telly (8-10 years and there was no High Definition then) and I thought a HD box wouldn't work with it.
> 
> By the way if these Freeview boxes are not compatible with todays Technology then why are they still selling them now?


 
Are you in the Republic or Northern Ireland? If in the Republic buy a Saorview approved box (which is technologically superior to freeview) and connect it to your TV and Aeriel.

www.saorview.ie


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## p15574 (3 May 2012)

149oaks said:


> By the way if these Freeview boxes are not compatible with todays Technology then why are they still selling them now?



Freeview boxes, sold in the North, are compatible with the UK Freeview broadcasts in the North.


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## 149oaks (4 May 2012)

I'm in the Republic. I had read on other threads where people were buying them for £20 in the North and they worked down here. Either I mis-interpreted or incorrect info was put up.
So it seems they are backward compatible up North but Saorview starts had a higher standard here, is that correct.

I have an old satellite box a GLOBO 7010A for Freeview channels. Dish broke a while back and didn't bother replacing as we seldom used it anyhow. I'm wondering if I connected this to a standard Aerial would it work for the Saorview Digital Channels?


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## p15574 (4 May 2012)

Yes, that's correct.

Re the satellite box, it will only work via a satellite dish. Free*Sat* is via satellite, Free*View* is via broadcast to aerials. Boxes for one are not compatible with the other, unless it's a combination box.


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## 149oaks (4 May 2012)

Thanks p15574


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## huskerdu (4 May 2012)

149oaks said:


> I'm in the Republic. I had read on other threads where people were buying them for £20 in the North and they worked down here. Either I mis-interpreted or incorrect info was put up.
> So it seems they are backward compatible up North but Saorview starts had a higher standard here, is that correct.



You got incorrect information. 

FreeView in the UK and Saorview in Ireland use a different technical spec (The UK used MPEG-2 and we use MPEG-4)  

The boxes are not compatible.


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## Leo (4 May 2012)

huskerdu said:


> FreeView in the UK and Saorview in Ireland use a different technical spec (The UK used MPEG-2 and we use MPEG-4)
> 
> The boxes are not compatible.


 
FreeViewHD uses MPEG-4, so those boxes are compatible with SaorView. The older SD FreeView boxes are as you say MPEG-2.


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## gipimann (4 May 2012)

I mentioned buying a Freeview (not HD) box for £20 in another thread - but I live near the border and I'm hoping to pick up the UK Freeview channels with it and my aerial, not the Irish Saorview channels (which it doesn't do and which I never expected it to do).

As it happens, I can't pick up the UK channels either, but I'm waiting until Digital Switchover day in NI (October, I understand) when the signals are expected to get stronger before giving up.


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## Woodie (4 May 2012)

If it was me regardless of location I would be looking for boxes with MPEG4 MPEG5(digital text).  The original Freeview technology was MPEG2 as many people have said.  Typically the rollout of HD for the foreseeable future in both areas should be MPEG4/5  this is the Saorview / FreeviewHD box type, although like most technology there may be exceptions.  
A lot of retailers are gearing up for new TV sales but I for example have older (no so old) Freeview TV's also (moved from UK) and I feel there  is  a market for a small box plugin that supports MPEG4.  All the small devices I have seen to date don't seem to  be up much and I really don't want to have to link a clunky box with wires up the wall to get a couple of channels.  As it looks at the moment Saorview is poor value for money when you have to spend 90Eur for not much improvement.  As far as these TV's are concerned I wait and see unless someone knows of a good option.


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## Leo (4 May 2012)

Woodie said:


> If it was me regardless of location I would be looking for boxes with MPEG4 MPEG5(digital text).


 
Just to clarify, the digital text standard is M*H*EG-5  (Mulitimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group Vs Motion Picture Experts Group for MPEG standards).


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## AlbacoreA (5 May 2012)

Woodie said:


> ... As it looks at the moment Saorview is poor value for money when you have to spend 90Eur for not much improvement.  As far as these TV's are concerned I wait and see unless someone knows of a good option.



Your choices are. 

Get UPC or SKY
Get Saorview and/or Freesat (requires Ariel and satellite disk)

Pay for half a solution, get half the channels.


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## Tv Trade (6 May 2012)

AlbacoreA said:


> Your choices are.
> 
> Get UPC or SKY
> Get Saorview and/or Freesat (requires Ariel and satellite disk)
> ...



Just to add, there is another solution....

A saorsat / freesat setup...

Recuires 1 80cm (minimum) dish, two LNBs (1x standard sky LNB & 1x KA-Band LNB), a suitable LNB holder for both LNBS a 2x1 diseqc swtich (to combine both LNB's outputs) and a DVB-S2 HD Satellite Receiver.

Only snag on saorsat currently is that 3e and tv3 ain't on it


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