Options for watching Freeview without an aerial?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 70
Forum Member
Hi!

We've just moved in to a new house which should have Freeview coverage. We have Virgin Media downstairs but planned on just accessing Freeview on the TV in our bedroom (which we did in our old house). However, on plugging the aerial in it says there is no signal, so I can only surmise that the aerial on the roof isn't good enough to receive the signal.

I was looking at options to watch TV in the bedroom. I currently have an Xbox 360 connected up to the TV so we can access Netflix, BBC iPlayer and 4OD etc, but ideally we'd like to be able to watch live television upstairs.

I looked at the Now TV box, various devices, but it's a minefield! There's so much tech out there now I don't really know where to start. Are there any options for watching live television without an aerial? Our internet is really good, so we'd have no trouble streaming live channels, but is there any way we can do this? I know I can connect up my laptop to the TV and use the TV Catchup website, but again it's not ideal. What I really want is a box I can simply plug in to the television and watch Freeview using our internet connection.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
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Comments

  • BangersBangers Posts: 3,625
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    Why not just get someone over to sort out your aerial instead?
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
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    Do you have an aerial point in the living room? Does that work? Also does the living room aerial point have a second coax aerial socket labelled Return on it?

    If no aerial point works then it could be an aerial fault, cabling from the aerial or whatever system is used to split the aerial signal to the various rooms. Or of course there may be no splitter at all and all the cables just end up in the loft or a cupboard somewhere and are not connected to anything!

    Or there could be an amplified splitter that is powered via one of the leads to one of the rooms where a power supply should be connected between the wall plate and the TV. Perhaps the power supply has been removed so the amplifier is dead?

    If there is a Return socket on the living room wall plate that could be used to feed the bedroom. It is possible it was wired that way so you could have a Sky box in the living room. Plug the aerial into the RF In on the Sky box and RF 1 OUT to the living room telly and RF 2 OUT to the Return socket. That way you can watch Freeview or Sky in the bedroom.

    But if you haven't got a Sky box you can't wire things up like that so the bedroom loses it's feed of the aerial. Easy to test simply by looping the TV and Return sockets together with a short cable.

    But there could be any number of other possibilities as well. Perhaps some investigation of where all the wires run to might be worthwhile?
  • ntscuserntscuser Posts: 8,219
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    However, on plugging the aerial in it says there is no signal, so I can only surmise that the aerial on the roof isn't good enough to receive the signal.

    Extremely unlikely. If the aerial was capable of receiving an analogue signal before it is almost certainly capable of receiving a digital signal now.
  • albertdalbertd Posts: 14,341
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    ntscuser wrote: »
    Extremely unlikely. If the aerial was capable of receiving an analogue signal before it is almost certainly capable of receiving a digital signal now.
    As the OP has only just moved in, there is no info as to the state of the previous analogue reception, it might have been really grotty, but still being used by a previous occupant.
  • ZenithZenith Posts: 3,868
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    Does your new house receive from the same transmitter as when you were in your old house?

    If not, have you tried retuning your TV?
  • N.DeanN.Dean Posts: 1,680
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    If it helps you to understand the technology, please be aware that "Freeview" means digital terrestrial TV, i.e. through an aerial.
    Some of the channels which are on Freeview are also on other platforms, such as cable and Freesat.

    As others have suggested, it's probably simplest to get the aerial checked. It could be that an amplifier is turned off or the previous occupant has accidentally taken the power supply for an amplifier.
  • albertdalbertd Posts: 14,341
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    It also may be that the previous occupant was a Sky, Freesat or Virgin user and never used the aerial at all and that it has totally deteriorated with age.
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    Can the op borrow an indoor aerial to check if there is sufficient signal upstairs with that? If so that would be a cheap option until they are ready to get an installer out.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 70
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    Thanks for the replies, all.

    I seem to have identified the problem! I went up in the loft to investigate where the leads might run to only to find two cables joined together with... well, nothing. They were just cut back and twisted together!! No wonder it's not working! Someone has done a right botch job on the thing. I also found a loose TV multibar (sorry, don't know the correct term) aerial with some wires sellotaped to it.

    Now I know what at least one of the problems is I can have a go at solving it!
  • soulboy77soulboy77 Posts: 24,396
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    Reminds me when I had a look in my parents loft to find out why they had problems. The end of the aerial lead was just pushed into the hole in the connector box on the aerial. No attempt had been made to wire it in properly.
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    I remember checking my. Grandparents settup they had two aerials 1 to a relay and another to a main mast of which they got nothing from the main mast. On top of that the cabling was very low grade rubbish which I tried to replace some of it but in the end their aerial got blown over and that caused water to leak in from the roof so they had to have it all redone anyway.
    Not as bad as what you both said but not great either.
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
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    Thanks for the replies, all.

    I seem to have identified the problem! I went up in the loft to investigate where the leads might run to only to find two cables joined together with... well, nothing. They were just cut back and twisted together!! No wonder it's not working! Someone has done a right botch job on the thing. I also found a loose TV multibar (sorry, don't know the correct term) aerial with some wires sellotaped to it.

    Now I know what at least one of the problems is I can have a go at solving it!

    So only slightly worse than this fine example of a bodge aerial distribution system then :)

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/018.shtml
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    chrisjr wrote: »
    So only slightly worse than this fine example of a bodge aerial distribution system then :)

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/018.shtml

    Oh my that is bad I expect that there was a lot of complaints about that!
  • Dr.OliverTwichDr.OliverTwich Posts: 1,579
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    Now I know what at least one of the problems is I can have a go at solving it!
    Well done so far...

    This site may help you to do it:
    http://www.aerialsandtv.com/cableandleads.html
    http://www.aerialsandtv.com/ampsandsplitters.html

    There are many here who will also try and advise and help you further so don't be afraid to ask if you are uncertain.
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
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    lotrjw wrote: »
    Oh my that is bad I expect that there was a lot of complaints about that!

    Well they could have done it this way...

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/035.shtml

    :o:o:D

    Plenty of other horrors on the Wright Aerials Rogues Gallery

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/view.shtml
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    chrisjr wrote: »
    Well they could have done it this way...

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/035.shtml

    :o:o:D

    Plenty of other horrors on the Wright Aerials Rogues Gallery

    http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/view.shtml

    I see some people will try and scam anything they can out of people!
  • Howard_GilpinHoward_Gilpin Posts: 2,206
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    albertd wrote: »
    It also may be that the previous occupant was a Sky, Freesat or Virgin user and never used the aerial at all and that it has totally deteriorated with age.

    Strange that an aerial can deteriorate when not in use! ;-)
  • eugenespeedeugenespeed Posts: 66,695
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    If it's another option, I have an indoor aerial with an inbuilt amplifier, 20 quid at Argos. Get a perfect signal.
  • eugenespeedeugenespeed Posts: 66,695
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    Winston_1 wrote: »
    Amplifiers on indoor aerials are a waste of time, money, and electricity. Amplifiers are to overcome the loss on a long run of aerial cable which you don't have on an indoor aerial.

    I turn the amplifier off, I don't get a signal.
  • albertdalbertd Posts: 14,341
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    I turn the amplifier off, I don't get a signal.
    If you are just disconnecting the power to it, that is no surprise as an amplifier with no power is like a brick wall. However, if it actually has a method of doing it properly, then that is another matter.
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
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    If it's another option, I have an indoor aerial with an inbuilt amplifier, 20 quid at Argos. Get a perfect signal.

    Most of the amplification is being used to overcome the pi55 poor performance of the aerial itself. Indoor aerials only really work well in strong signal areas. The walls of the building attenuate the signal reaching the aerial. The aerial itself is inherently low gain (electronic amplification excluded) so the amount of signal coming out of the plug is always going to be low.

    Therefore you need a stronger signal to start with compared to a roof top aerial to get an equivalent performance. Bunging a multi decibel gain amplifier on the back of the aerial may not help. If the wanted signal is buried in the noise then it doesn't matter how much gain the amplifier has. All you end up with is a stronger signal buried in stronger noise and still just as useless reception.
  • mooxmoox Posts: 18,880
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    It's even worse when the indoor aerial isn't even put in the right location. One of my neighbours has an indoor aerial on the window facing our road.

    The transmitter is actually facing the back of the house (great LOS, maybe 20 miles away), and since it's a main transmitter it is literally belting out a signal. Even a half-decent loft aerial would work beautifully. (other neighbours have 23902 element masterpieces of metal bolted to their chimney as if they're trying to pick up a signal from France)
  • radioanorakradioanorak Posts: 4,247
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    We live abroad & watch all Freeview channels for FREE here via PC
    www.filmon.com
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    We live abroad & watch all Freeview channels for FREE here via PC
    www.filmon.com
    That website sends Adblock into overdrive :D
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