LG Smart TV constant reminders to retune

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

I think, thanks to a suggestion in another forum - I have nailed this..

Almost every other day, when the set was switched on, it was suggesting it needed a retune because new channels had appeared or channel numbers had changed.

Soon after I bought the set, a problem occurred with the software, in as much as the ability to access directly, programs which had been shown earlier, disappeared - everyone was affected by the issue. I found I could improve this a little, by installing a variable antenna attenuator.

My local transmitter is Emley Moor, but I can also receive a Tyne Tees transmitter of the rear of the antenna. Once the software issue was fixed with an upgrade, I was able to remove the attenuator. Any attempt to retune would then require me to choose which of the two transmitters to use.

Since when the set has been troubled by regular requests to be retuned. In another forum, it was suggested that the weaker transmission might be varying, such that the channels appear and disappear, each reappearance prompting a retune.

I have reinstalled the attenuator, tweaked down so the set only sees the Emley Moor transmitter. So far, it would seem to have fixed the problem.

Maybe someone else is similarly affected?

[bill.shitner]

I think that this might be an LG-specific problem.

I bought an LG "smart" TV for the kitchen, a year or so ago. Already had a Samsung smart TV in the lounge. The LG got great reviews online, so I went with it.

I have exactly the same issues as you- almost daily prompts for retune or firmware updates, the need to go through a certain confirmatory sequence of selecting country/region etc. The Samsung needs a retune from time to time, but the LG asks for it far more frequently. I also dislike the interface on the LG, compared to the Samsung (e.g. YouTube is one of the selectable, built in options in the Samsung's main DTV screen, but with the LG, I have to choose the web browser and navigate to

I wouldn't buy another smart TV without testing the interface in a shop.

Regards.

Bill.

[Andrew May]

On ours Youtube is one of the built in apps. Not that we ever use it.

My one complaint is that every time you do a retune because of a change to the channel line up you lose all your carefully configured favorites lists.

[Chris J Dixon]

Indeed you do. I have a spreadsheet which I keep up to date each time, so recreating the list can be made more efficient.

I also take screen shots of the planned recordings on my tablet, so I can reprogramme them again afterwards.

Chris

[John Rumm]

If its a Webos TV (normally has a horizontal menu of apps depicted in slightly slanted "bars" at the bottom of the screen), then you can add the dedicated youtube app there if its not already installed. Note you can also hide apps you don't want - so it may be that its already installed, and just not on the list of visible apps. You can use the edit facility at the end of the application bar to choose what is shown.

Here is a video on adding it from the LG Content store if you need to:

Probably also a case of what you get used to. The web os TVs with the magic remote are quite good IME (you can add a magic remote to many even if they don't come with one). That lets you use the remote like a mouse

- just point at what you want Wii style.

[Andrew May]

Which is a right PITA when the seem to require a retune every month.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Happens here too - and with different sets.

A minority channel changes its name to say Xmas TV. So the rather dumb TV says its a new channel. It would be good if it told you what the changes were so you could decide whether to bother or not.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

[e-mail] brought next idea :

It does the check on where you are, when it can see channels from more than one region. Try the same fix as me - a variable antennuator in the antenna lead. Its only been a few days, but so far no more requests to retune.

One suggestion is that the LG's front end, is much more sensitive than it needs to be, so it picks up distant transmitters.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

John Rumm formulated on Friday :

My LG didn't come with the magic remote, but I quickly bought one. It certainly works much better than the more basic one which came with it, that is apart from the lack of pause, FF, FR, play buttons which are absent on the magic.

[John Rumm]

Normally one would point at the on screen pause button etc.

(not actually tried the recording capability on mine it has to be said - I built a system for network based recording, since all the TV based systems seem fairly limited)

[Steve Walker]

Our smart TV's "smart" functions are only ever used to access Netflix or Channel 5 catch-up; everything else is handled by our OpenVIX satellite box.

In fact, the TV's tuners (DTV and DBS) are never used either.

SteveW

[RJH]

Yes, happening on mine too. I just press 'No' when it asks to retune.

[Steve Walker]

Yes. It is very odd that terrestrial TV requires frequent retunes and loses even simple things like timer settings when it is done, yet our satellite boxes (that replaced our terrestrial boxes) manage to not need frequent retunes and to retain all the settings, even after a complete re-install of the software! I have even recently replaced a very old (from before we had the terrestrial boxes), failing box with a brand new one of an entirely different make, with different hardware, connected the old hard-disk and had it re-install the software, the tuning settings, the UI settings, the timers, etc. from the old set-up - even retaining the old MAC address, so my DHCP allocation remained the same.

SteveW

[Jeff Layman]

Check here:

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

RJH presented the following explanation :

There was a genuine need to retune several days ago, PBS (I think) added a +1 channel to the lineup.

Bedroom TV, which I thought I had retuned not too long ago, wasn't complaining, but was showing Yesterday on channel 19, instead of the present 25 - so I retuned last night to bring it into line.