How did the Freeview re-tune go for you? The end of September saw the Freeview Digital TV service upgraded and as a result millions of homes across the UK were forced to re-tune their set-top boxes. The problem is that the re-tune didn't go well for everybody.
The re-tune was required as part of a plan to give Channel Five national coverage and ready the service for HD (high definition) channels. However some viewers have found that ITV3 and ITV4 have completely disappeared. Some estimates have put the number of households to lose ITV3 and 4 at as many as 500,000.
The Gadget Helpline, a helpline and call centre for consumer electronics, saw a leap in calls of more than 200% attributable to the Freeview upgrade. Of the nearly 2,500 calls they received 'well over half' were about TV problems relating to the re-tune.
It wasn't only Gadget Helpline that got called, ITV has received more than 400 calls from members of the public struggling to retune their Freeview sets and angry at the loss of ITV3 and ITV4. Also Freeview said that following the completion of the upgrade at lunchtime, it was receiving “a couple of hundred calls per minute”.
If you are having trouble re-tuing your set top box try the following procedure.
- Go to the main menu by pressing Menu
- Navigate to the installation menu, (sometimes called service set up).
- Highlight Auto tune, Scan or Tuning.
- Start the scan.
- Wait for a few minutes for the progress bar to reach the end.
- If the bar does not clear by itself press OK/Enter
- The retune should be complete.
Why not tell us about your experiences with the re-tune in the comment section below, we would love to hear from you.
Related link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/oct/01/itv-freeview-retune-complaints
9 thoughts on “Flood of Calls Asking For Help With Freeview Re-tune”
I have retuned my Freeview TV and now can only get BBC channels! I have repeated the procedure several times but it hasn’t helped. I am furious
Having previously had a full list of channels my re-tune has actually removed Channel 5. I still have ITV3/4. I have followed the instructions in the manual and checked them with the Sagem web site but still have no Channel 5. Can anybody advise.
One freeview box died and the other is not working well since the attempted retune.
So goodbye TV Hello P2P movie and series downloading.
re tuned my free view at least 10 times and have lost a lot of my channels very very frustrating
Have retuned my digi box several times & still no joy,- have lost many channels inc:itv,itv2,4,more4,e4,5,bbc4,dave,radio channels & many more. Absolutely furious, what happens when no analogue? no itv or 4. Can anyone help me?!
I can’t get good freeview signals in my area
I have 2 boxes Sharp tu-r160 and digihome dtr0207 I now lose channel 5 every day, I have to retune every day if I want to watch channel 5. It is not the boxes as a relation in London has had no trouble. It must be the tansmitter at fault Clacton on sea Essex.
I have Freeview built in to a Sony DVD/hard disc recorder and the only time I’ve had to retune it gave me excellent onscreen instructions – really simple
lost all freeveiw channels can any one help