On Wednesday (30th September) UK Freeview users will need to re-tune their TVs, set top boxes and Windows Media Center systems. Freeview are getting ready for HD and implementing other changes to the channel line up so after 12pm on Wednesday you will need to run the TV tuner setup. I think the best way is to go to Tasks, Settings, TV and then Set Up TV Signal, you shouldn’t loose any series recordings.
Technical changes, including preparations for the future availability of HD channels on Freeview, will take place during the morning of 30 September and are expected to be complete by lunchtime. All Freeview boxes, Freeview+ digital TV recorders and digital TVs can be retuned at any point after this. To avoid losing services viewers are advised to retune equipment as soon as practicable from lunchtime on Wednesday 30 September.
The following changes to Freeview channels and services will be made on the 30 September:
Coverage of Five will increase. More than 500,000 Freeview homes will be able to receive Five for the first time; and these improvements will ensure that Five will be available to all Freeview homes at the point of switchover; along with BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, and Channel 4(2).
Some viewers will no longer be able to receive ITV3 and ITV4(3). As a result of moving position on the Freeview platform, a small percentage of homes will find they lose these services after retuning.
A new channel called ‘Quest’ will launch on channel 38 on Freeview. It will be available to the majority of Freeview homes(4).
Some BBC Radio stations will be affected in the 5% of UK homes that have already gone through digital switchover. Listeners in Border, West Country and parts of Wales will lose these services until they retune their Freeview equipment.
The Community Channel will no longer be available on Freeview in areas that have already gone through switchover.
It’s important that viewers don’t retune before lunchtime as they will find that even if the channel or service name appears in the on-screen TV guide, the channel itself will not be available or may have been moved to a temporary location.
After retuning, the viewer will find a small number of channels in a new position on their on-screen TV guide. The updated channel list, effective from 30 September 2009 is available at www.freeview.co.uk/channels . Ilse Howling, Managing Director of Freeview said: “These are significant and necessary changes which will immediately bring Freeview viewers new channels, introduce new homes to existing channels and prepare the platform for the future availability of Freeview HD.
“Freeview already offers quality channels including 13 of the 15 most watched channels and this retune will allow more viewers to benefit.”
Notes * Viewers not able to retune on the 30 September can do so anytime afterwards
The on-screen messages will start two weeks before the 30 September retune and continue for four days afterwards to remind people to retune if they haven’t already done so on the 30 September.
Parliament has required that Five moves to a public service multiplex to provide universal coverage at switchover.
Freeview homes receiving their service from a relay transmitter will no longer be able to receive ITV3 and ITV4.
Freeview channel availability is subject to coverage and the broadcasters make the decision on which channels are available on the Freeview service. Freeview viewers can check their channel line up by using the Freeview coverage checker at www.freeview.co.uk/availability
0 thoughts on “UK Freeview users don’t forget to re-scan your TV channels on Wednesday”
“…you shouldn’t loose any series recordings.”
I wish I shared your optimissm, because whenever the EPG changes invariably I find that a couple of things can affect scheduled recordings (and this time around has been no different). I would urge people to check:
1.) That each channel has a guide listing after re-scanning. Had to manually assign some of my channels (e.g. Five, ITV3, ITV4, Virgin1 & Virgin1+1), and others had the wrong ones (ITV3 was labelled ITV2+1, ITV2 was labelled ITV).
2.) The guide data becomes missing from the guide listing even if properly assigned. E.g. 301 & 302 don’t have any guide date, which is vital for F1 practise recordings! Other than setting times manually, we’ll have to wait for the data providers to correct the guide.
3.) If a scheduled recording (both single event and series) is channel specific (e.g. record Mock the Week from BBC2 only), it’s worth noting that the event is tied to the EPG number and not the TV Channel name. If the EPG number ever changes the recording will fail. This will affect those people who re-order their EPG guide, unless they re-order it exactly the same as before. Either way, you can manually re-assign the scheduled recording to the channel or change the series recording settings to record from “any channel”.
If you go this route you will need to re-set up any “beyond 2 Tuner” hacks you are using in Vista or XP. You can delete and re-scan for services to get the new channels etc…
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On Wednesday (30th September) UK Freeview users will need to re-tune their TVs, set top boxes and Windows Media Center systems. Freeview are getting ready for HD and implementing other changes to the channel line up so after 12pm on Wednesday you will need to run the TV tuner setup. I think the best way is to go to Tasks, Settings, TV and then Set Up TV Signal, you shouldn’t loose any series recordings.
“…you shouldn’t loose any series recordings.”
I wish I shared your optimissm, because whenever the EPG changes invariably I find that a couple of things can affect scheduled recordings (and this time around has been no different). I would urge people to check:
1.) That each channel has a guide listing after re-scanning. Had to manually assign some of my channels (e.g. Five, ITV3, ITV4, Virgin1 & Virgin1+1), and others had the wrong ones (ITV3 was labelled ITV2+1, ITV2 was labelled ITV).
2.) The guide data becomes missing from the guide listing even if properly assigned. E.g. 301 & 302 don’t have any guide date, which is vital for F1 practise recordings! Other than setting times manually, we’ll have to wait for the data providers to correct the guide.
3.) If a scheduled recording (both single event and series) is channel specific (e.g. record Mock the Week from BBC2 only), it’s worth noting that the event is tied to the EPG number and not the TV Channel name. If the EPG number ever changes the recording will fail. This will affect those people who re-order their EPG guide, unless they re-order it exactly the same as before. Either way, you can manually re-assign the scheduled recording to the channel or change the series recording settings to record from “any channel”.
If you go this route you will need to re-set up any “beyond 2 Tuner” hacks you are using in Vista or XP. You can delete and re-scan for services to get the new channels etc…