Re 43XG8196BU Set-up

[1VNick11X]

Can anybody assist please? Have recently installed a Sony 43XG8196BU Android TV and having probs.

We were looking for a good quality image and audio that has clarity without the need to add a soundbar (if poss.) for a bedroom. Freesat may be a benefit but Freeview as a minimum.

An internet connection would not be necessary and, in fact, preferable without – just need a good tele with the facility to add a Humax PVR.

With the original co-axial into a terrestrial aerial we found the picture and sound broke up so installed a sat dish with one shotgun cable (which works perfectly as Freesat with an older tv in the lounge) and I removed the terrestrial connection to the bedroom and used sat cable connection.

Q1 - Have since had to move the dish – should it be set at 21degrees out from the vertical or does the sat- dish box automatically compensate?

Q2 – Retuned channels to Digital Satellite – Single Connection – Astra. We receive only analogue channels - “No connection” on digital. Can we get satellite channels without internet connection? - see Q3 (by now you would have realised that I am a total novice)

Q3 – It would appear that Sony does not have Freesat built in. Does that mean we would not get it even with a Humax Freesat box?

Q4 – If Q3 = ‘No’ presumably we should get a new Humax Freeview box (our current box does not have a USB connection and is almost full anyway).

Q5 – Never heard of ‘You-View’, does it need an internet connection if we simply wish to look at All4 or similar stations?

It would appear that we need to use the sat dish as, originally, the picture broke up with terrestial but what is the best set-up in our situation? (have updated to 16065201000252.pkg).

Any help given would be much appreciated.

Nick

[IamNic]

Hello @1VNick11X,

before anwering any other questions, it appears to me that you have an issue with your satellite dish - the dish has to be pointed almost perfectly to the geostationary satellite (Astra.19 preferrably).

This satellite is located on a point in the sky (since it is geostationary) and your need to point your dish at it to be able to receive the signal it relays back to earth.

I advise you to watch a few sat-dish setup tutorials on YouTube so you get a signal in the first place.

This guide is rather informative: 

- Nic

[1VNick11X]

Nic

Thanks for response and, yes, dish is facing right direction.  Although I moved the dish, the angle to the SE is correct according to the meter.  It is because I watched the youtube video you refer to that I wondered if our dish (with a Sky box) does not automatically compensate hence query.  As Sherlock said - eliminate the obvious first.

Regards

Nick

[IamNic]

Hello @1VNick11X,

from your fist post it sounded like you moved the dish to a different location all together or to the left/right on its current mounting position, hence my last reply to check not only the vertical angle but also the horizontal alignment.

Any receiver you plug the lead from the sat-dish in can't compensate if bandwidth is missing due to a bad signal.

Unlike analog video transmission which gets more "snowy" with decreasing signal quality, digital video transmission causes either to have a well enough signal to display the image or not (while there is a smallspot in between where you get digital artifacts, it is not worth mentioning).

- Nic

[royabrown2]

@1VNick11X 

You have good answers to Qu 1, better than I could give, so I’ll just tackle the rest:-

Q2 – Retuned channels to Digital Satellite – Single Connection – Astra. We receive only analogue channels - “No connection” on digital. Can we get satellite channels without internet connection? - see Q3 (by now you would have realised that I am a total novice)

A2 - Yes, in principle. Satellite connection does not depend on the internet at all.

Q3 – It would appear that Sony does not have Freesat built in. Does that mean we would not get it even with a Humax Freesat box?

A3 - It is correct that the Sony does not have Freesat, but this does not affect what a Humax Freesat box can do here. It handles all the Freesat side, and outputs an HDMI signal, much like a BluRay player would, and the TV is perfectly capable of handling that. So ‘No’ to Q3.

Q4 – If Q3 = ‘No’ (it is) presumably we should get a new Humax Freeview box (our current box does not have a USB connection and is almost full anyway).

A4 - It is not a USB connection that is used for this, it is an HDMI one. Does your current Freesat box have an HDMI output? If not, what does it have?

‘Full’ I can’t answer for; is it irreplaceable archived stuff, or just recordings you always meant to watch, but never got around to?

Q5 – Never heard of ‘YouView’, does it need an internet connection if we simply wish to look at All4 or similar stations?

A5 - YouView is an alternative to Freeview, and just does the same job in a different way. It needs a terrestrial TV aerial. Have you got one?

The Players (not stations) All4 and  itv Hub come only with YouView*, and need the Internet, as does every other App on the TV, and as does its software updates.

It is not really practical to operate one of these TVs without an internet connection, though this can be WiFi, so you don’t have to wire it to your router (you do have a router, and a broadband/landline supplier, not just broadband on phones?)

*If you use YouView, you can’t use satellite on the TV, so a good reason to have the Humax Freesat Box.

You can turn YouView off and use Freeview, but then you lose the itv Hub and All4 players. But you still get the BBC iPlayer and My5 players.

Thanks to a developer called Hoshsadiq, you can sideload the itv and All4 players alongside Freeview, but this requires a degree of technical prowess you would probably agree you don’t currently possess. A techie friend could do it for you though, after which they would work just like they do on YouView, and be just as easy to use.

[1VNick11X]

Thanks again Nic, as you say I have re-sited dish.  If it is a case of simply receiving a signal or not then we appear to be OK. Have now arranged for Bruv-in law to pop up.  It is the sophistication of the system that has stumped me so will hand over to him.

Regards

Nick

[1VNick11X]

Thanks Roya, most detailed.

Ref A3/A4 -

Current Humax deos have an HDMI connection.  Did set it up as such but for some reason now forgotten I thought it needed USB.  HD is up to around 70% full with programmes yet to watch and during initial set-up it said it would wipe these (presumably wished to re-format disk). Therefore not initiated.

Ref. A5 -

Yes will reinstate terrestrial aerial and run the two in tandem.  As for internet, connection is not a problem as such.  Have just finished a new-build and made sure there are plenty of Cat6's available for future-proofing. More a case of being a luddite, just trying to keep big brother at bay and get fed up with PUPs installing alongside essentials.  Would prefer just to have EPG and all other icons removed. Obviously did not research sufficiently before buying. 

Bruv-in-law booked in to take over, will ask for mimimum set-up and hope for best.

Once again many thanks, most helpful.

Regards

Nick