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General Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Digital Switchover?
This is when the old analogue TV signal is switched off at your local TV
transmitter.
- When does the Digital Switchover effect me?
For those living in Sutton Coldfield and the surrounding areas that we
cover, the analogue service will be switched off in 2011. See our
Freeview TV page for
further information on other parts of the country.
- How does the Digital Switchover effect me?
After digital switchover all the televisions,
video recorder and DVD recorders in you home will need to be capable of
receiving a digital signal of some kind, either through your aerial,
satellite, cable or phone line. To view the different options open to
you, go to our Digital TV page.
Unless all your televisions are capable of receiving a digital signal
you will not be able to watch after switchover. Similarly, after
switchover you will no longer be able to record on your DVD recorder or
video recorder unless it has a digital tuner built in.
- What does HDTV mean and do I need a HD ready TV?
HDTV means High Definition Television. A HD TV has up to four times as
many pixels (dots on the screen) as a standard-definition TV. The pixels
make up the lines on a screen: standard screens have 625 lines, while HD
screens have 720 and Full-HD screens have 1080 lines. This gives a clearer, sharper picture
with much more detail. HD TV also has better quality sound. The
majority of LCD & Plasma TV's sold these days are HD ready.
The 'HD Ready' logo means that a television screen has sufficient
resolution to display high definition pictures. However, if you have an
'HD Ready' TV it doesn't mean you can automatically receive HD services.
You will still need the right kind of receiver, which will be either be
included within the TV, such as Freesat or in a separate HD digital box.
You will need to purchase an HD digital box to get high definition
channels on Freeview when it becomes available in your region. These
boxes are still being developed and discussions are taking place on when
they will be available to buy in shops.
At the present time the primary method of receiving HD in the UK
is Freesat or subscribe to Sky Satellite TV or Virgin Cable TV. See our
Digital TV page. Freeview HD is now slowly becoming available through an aerial, in some areas, see the next FAQ. Other methods include HD Blue
Ray Disc etc.
- Will high-definition
television (HDTV) be available on Freeview?
Freeview viewers across the UK will be able to watch high definition
TV channels possibly as early as 2009, media regulator Ofcom and the
BBC Trust announced on the 3rd of April 2008. New technology and a
reorganisation of the way channels are allocated on digital
terrestrial television platform will free up space for four Freeview
HDTV services.
The first three HD channels will be available as digital switchover
takes place in the Granada TV region in the north-west of England and
subsequent regions from 2009. All four HD channels should be available
across the country by the time digital switchover is due to be
completed in 2012. One of them will be reserved for the BBC with the
three others open to a competitive bidding process overseen by Ofcom
among the public service broadcasters, including ITV, Channel 4,
Channel Five and Welsh language channel S4C. The consultation process
which began in November 2008 still requires government approval to go
ahead.
Viewers who want to watch the new channels will have to buy a new
set-top box incorporating the superior MPEG-4 rather than MPEG-2
compression technology. MPEG-4 is twice as efficient as the MPEG-2
standard , while a new European transmission standard (DVB-T2) will
increase capacity by 30%. These Freeview HD boxes are now becoming
available to buy. In the West Midlands area Freeview HD is scheduled
to begin broadcasting in late March 2010 from the transmitter at Hints
near Lichfield.
What does HDMI stand for?
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. HDMI is a digital
connection using a single cable for high-quality video and audio.
- So what is the difference between Plasma &
LCD TV and what are the
advantages of each technology?
Plasma technology is similar to
the way a fluorescent lamp works. The display itself consists of cells.
Within each cell two glass panels are separated by a narrow gap in which
neon-xenon gas is injected and sealed in plasma form during the
manufacturing process. The gas is electrically charged at specific
intervals when the Plasma set is in use. The charged gas then strikes
red, green, and blue phosphors, thus creating a television image. Each
group of red, green, and blue phosphors is called a pixel.
LCD panels are made of two layers of transparent material, which are
polarized, and are bonded together. One of the layers is coated with a
special polymer that holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is
then passed through individual crystals, which allow the crystals to
pass or block light to create images. LCD crystals do not produce their
own light, so an external light source, such as cold cathode lamps
are needed for the image created by the LCD to become visible to the
viewer.
Although technology is advancing all the time, most experts continue to
believe that large screen Plasma sets produce a superior picture to LCD,
the ability to render better blacks is still an advantage of Plasma.
Fast moving images are also portrayed better on Plasma than a large
screen LCD TV. In our opinion LCD sets are a good choice up to around
40" and Plasma sets for 42" and greater. For more information on the
differences visit::
plasma-lcd-facts.co.uk.
- Should I replace my old Video Recorder with a DVD/Hard Drive
Recorder?
A DVD Recorder has many advantages over a Video Recorder. The DVD discs
are much more robust and longer lasting than video tapes and the picture
quality is far superior. DVD Recorders place each recording into a title
list making it much quicker to access a particular recording. Make sure
that you buy a recorder with an integrated digital tuner.
- So what is a Hard Disk Drive anyway?
A hard disc drive is used to store large amounts of data, similar to a
computer. Buying a DVD Recorder with a hard disk means that you don't
have to keep feeding the machine with a fresh disc on a regular basis.
The recording time is dependent on the size of the drive and the
recording speed that you can record in. For example a 250Gb drive
will record around 443 hours in EP mode.
- Should my new Plasma or LCD TV be put on the wall or on
a stand?
This is very much a personal choice. Installing your flat panel TV will
free up extra space in the room and may well look neater. Bear in mind
though that you will then have to arrange your seating around your TV,
not the other way around. Often sets are mounted too high on the wall,
do you really want to be straining your neck looking upwards all the
time? Having the set on a stand is more flexible and is at a more
practical height. Whatever your choice, think carefully about it before
making your decision.
- So with so many products on the market, what should I buy?
This is a difficult question to answer. If you
are going out to purchase a new TV costing £500 upwards you need to seek
some some sound advice based on you own personal requirements. Sit down
and discuss what you are looking for with a knowledgeable expert, such
as ourselves, not some salesman who is only out to sell you whichever
sets gives him the most commission. What size screen do you need, what
technology, what features, etc. etc. Whatever you do, don't just pick
the first set that you come across in the local supermarket. They may be
great for your baked beans, but how many such places have staff that can
explain the important differences between one set and another. Always
buy a set from a well known manufacturer who will offer you a
quality product with a good after sales service. Steer clear of makes
that you have never heard of. After all if your wonderful bargain, who's
make you have never heard of, goes wrong, where do you go for parts and
service once it is out of it's guarantee period?
- How I get rid of the red button
prompt that appears in the top right hand corner of the picture when
viewing digital programmes?
This can be removed by pressing the green
button on your remote control when viewing on Freeview or by pressing
the back up button when viewing on Sky. Alternatively on a Sky Digi-box
the feature can be set to switch off after 30 seconds. Press the Services button, go to
System Set-Up, then Picture Settings, then set
On-Screen Icon Timeout to On, then Save New settings.
- What is Panasonic VIERA
CAST?
VIERA CAST delivers online content via an Internet connection to the new
Panasonic 2009 VIERA HDTV range. Users can simply plug the Ethernet
cable into the back of the television. Switching from a normal TV
programme to VIERA CAST is done by pressing the VIERA CAST button on the
VIERA TV remote control. VIERA CAST requires no additional registration
or subscription. More
detail here ...
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What is DLNA?
DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. Many companies are
involved in agreeing compatibility guidelines so that equipment that is
certified with the DLNA logo complies with the specifications and will
work together.
DLNA certified products such as the Panasonic Viera G15 series, V10
series and the Z1 Televisions can be connected to the same home network
allowing the media files stored on one device (the server) to be shared
to other devices on the same network. For more information about DLNA
please download this
user guide
(pdf).
-
How do I carry out a complete
retune on my Panasonic Viera Television?
How to retune the Panasonic 2008/9 range of Viera Televisions (pdf)
How to
retune the Panasonic 2007 range of Viera Televisions (pdf)
How to
retune the Panasonic 2006 range of Viera Televisions (pdf)
How to retune the
Panasonic 2005 range of Viera Televisions (pdf)
How
to retune the Panasonic TX-28/32DT4 & similar CRT Televisions
(pdf)
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Further useful FAQ's will be added shortly. If you have
a suggestion, please tell us. |
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Acknowledgments: Freeview; Panasonic UK; BBC;
Digital UK |
Panasonic Frequently
Asked Questions
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