Can I get UK Freeview on a Saorview tv?

I am looking for a new tv and with the digital switchover looming, I want to get one with a tuner, which will pick up Saorview, built into it.

As I live in the border region, I can pick up the analogue signal from the North, but as they are also switching over to digital by the end of the year, I want to be able to pick up the UK Freeview as well (I am assured this will not be a problem where I live).

What I want is a tv which will pick up both Freeview and Saorview channels without getting an external box; does anybody know whether this is possible and if it is, what I would need to look out for.

I have tried searching for information on this and I am bombarded with a lot of information that is a bit technical for me. If anybody has any knowledge or experience with this, it would be greatly appreciated.

venice said:

I have relations that live between Drogheda and Dundalk who bought a couple of standard Samsung TV’s (Mpeg 4) in the last year and can get all the Irish freeview channels along with the BBC’s and ITV’s Sky news etc. with a standard external aerial and no box without a problem… I did not know it was possible but there you are…….

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It must be a dual tuner TV as both systems are completely different. Can you find out what model of TV it is? I don't think it can be done without using some type of decoder box for the Freeview and using a Saorview TV on the rabbit ears/external aerial. This guy is very good, his videos explain things well. http://www.tvtrade.ie/how-to-combine-saorview-and-freeview-on-the-same-digital-receiver.html

You can buy a very cheap Freeview set top box in Asda for under £20 - I'm hoping it (and my existing TV aerial) will do the trick for me!!

I bought a Saorview TV at Christmas and it only gets UK stations on analogue. I am in border area too. Getting all the RTE digitals now.

I'm living in Wexford and we used to be able to get all the UK stations off a standard aerial until approx 2/3 years ago. The aerial now just picks up the Irish stations on a Digital TV (sometimes, must be weather dependent it can pick up some UK stations). I was wondering if anyone in this part of the country is able to pick up the UK Freeview Digital stations and if so by what means?

It sounds like you were getting your UK stations from a relay. NTL made a big fuss to the powers that be and got the relays shut down. You have to be getting your stations directly from Wales to have any chance of getting Freeview.

All Saorview aproved TVs will receive Freeview if you are within range. Saorview uses Mpeg 4 tuners which are backward compatible with Freeview Mpeg 2 tuners.

However, N Ireland will soon also launch 4 channels in Freeview HD and a Saorview TV will not receive this signal but as far as I know they will continue to broadcast the channels in a non HD version simultaneously.

If you want a TV that will get Saorview and Freeview HD then buy a Freeview HD tv in the north. It won't be Saorview approved but will generally work. There may be some issues with digital teletext though.

I ended up buying a Freeview HD tv from Amazon; it picks up all the Irish digital channels no problems but can only pick up the BBC channels from the north (including News, Parliament, 3, 4), no ITV or Channel 4.

The signal from the north is quite intermittent depending on the weather, but from what I understand, once the analogue signal is turned off, it will greatly improve

redchariot said:

The signal from the north is quite intermittent depending on the weather

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A better aerial might resolve that for you.

leo's point: you may need a masthead amplifier and power unit for the freeview tranmitter facing aerial

redchariot: if it's a freeview hd TV, then you'll be laughing, freeview HD requires a T2 tuner which ordinary freeview TVs or boxes do not have.