Nothing "smart" about my TVIs

tosha

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Is it not possible to buy a nice BASIC TV anymore, something that turns on with a single click using just one remote, something that does not require updates from the internet to remain healthy , something with a brilliant picture and sound that remains stable , something that every time I change channel doesn't keep asking be if I want to watch in HD, something that doesn't keep telling me to go to settings and sort out my preferences (what the hell is that all about) My set is nearing 2yrs old and has been coupled up to a Humax recorder from the first day it was plugged in. This is the second load of rubbish supplied and installed by John Lewis in the last two years. If smart TVs are so clever why can't they sort their own problems out and not rely on human interference. I've spent hours on the phone talking to wiz kids giving me instructions how to run around in circles. When things go really tits then out come the big gun engineers telling me how or why things either work or don't They're wasting their time because most of what they say goes straight over my head. How many times do I have to tell them I'm a retired plumber in my eighties used to fixing things with 24" steelsons. The point is if I pay £1000 -£2000 for an electronic devise I expect it to work for at least a reasonable amount of time without constant maintenance. Okay, rant over but the question remains are large screen TVs still available in basic form?
 
Amazon firestick but it does need updates it comes with a remote to.
 
miss read I don't think so but LG TVs are pretty simple to use and interface.
 
What make of TV has been giving you all this trouble ? None of the TVs I've ever bought have needed 'constant maintenance' so which aspects are you having trouble with ? I tend to buy Panasonic TVs and (admittedly) spend a while getting them set up but once that's done, have very little reason to tweak anything beyond that. Firmware updates are needed to use the smart features but if you don't want to use them, then you might get away without doing any updates if you really didn't want to. In my experience though, Panasonic firmware updates are painless and require very little interaction. Panasonic often get criticised for their simple OS but it sounds like it actually might be a good option for your needs.

Pretty much all large-screen TVs are smart these days, but you don't have to use the smart features. Many TVs will have some kind of smart pop-up Freeview Play-related banner that pops up for a few seconds when you switch the TV on but once this disappears, you should be able to watch TV (with occasional use of the guide) and not have to interact with any smart features at all.
 
The OP appears to have been struggling with his television since December 2020 (not 2 years!). It's a reliable mid range Samsung and is coupled to a Humax box. In the course of this time he appears to have struggled with the connections between the two devices. At one time, and possibly still, he had a loft aerial, which he tried to 'boost' which is rarely a good idea as far as consistent signal strength goes. He called an 'engineer' when he found that nothing was connected to the satellite socket which was clearly not a necessity.

Recently he accidentally clicked on the AD button, whether on the TV or the Humax is not made clear. That's not a fault requiring 'maintenance'. We've all done it. Pretty much all TVs are SMART these days and once set up properly require little or nothing by way of major intervention. I've had a Samsung for well over 2 years and I've never had an update that asks me questions about settings or if I want to watch HD. I gather from his past posts that he has some confusion which is doing the tuning, the TV or the Humax. He had some difficulty over the need for 2 remotes, one for the TV and one for the Humax. It's hard to know what to advise from here. I suspect he will have similar difficulties with a new television unless the installer is able to explain to him clearly how to operate things satisfactorily at the set-up, as possibly the "faults", as he sees them, will be just the same. Sorry if I sound a bit harsh, but there is no need to spend a lot more money for history to repeat itself.
 
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Get a monitor and a sound bar.

I just purchased a 55inch Dell monitor for a customer. It’s basically a dumb TV.
 
He already has all the equipment to obtain a satisfactory service. Why spend more? One of his problems is probably due to an unsatisfactory signal for the Humax box from a loft aerial. He will probably have to rely on this as monitors do not generally have tuners.
 
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Well, his problem is that his TV asks to update this, enter details for that, answer this question before you can do such and such.

It's a question often asked by frustrated users of screens that just want to watch the thing: why can't we just have a TV that doesn't do anything than just display an image....... like CRTs used to.

Although my reply was slightly flippant, it's the answer to a question that is often asked.

And monitors never have tuners.
 
why can't we just have a TV that doesn't do anything than just display an image....... like CRTs used to.

Alas, everything has to be "smart" these days. :(

As I've noted elsewhere, my new tumble drier has wi-fi so it can be switched on "from the comfort of your sofa" or, indeed, anywhere in the world!

But having put damp clothes in and shut the door, why not just press the start button? :facepalm:
 
The OP appears to have been struggling with his television since December 2020 (not 2 years!). It's a reliable mid range Samsung and is coupled to a Humax box. In the course of this time he appears to have struggled with the connections between the two devices. At one time, and possibly still, he had a loft aerial, which he tried to 'boost' which is rarely a good idea as far as consistent signal strength goes. He called an 'engineer' when he found that nothing was connected to the satellite socket which was clearly not a necessity.

Recently he accidentally clicked on the AD button, whether on the TV or the Humax is not made clear. That's not a fault requiring 'maintenance'. We've all done it. Pretty much all TVs are SMART these days and once set up properly require little or nothing by way of major intervention. I've had a Samsung for well over 2 years and I've never had an update that asks me questions about settings or if I want to watch HD. I gather from his past posts that he has some confusion which is doing the tuning, the TV or the Humax. He had some difficulty over the need for 2 remotes, one for the TV and one for the Humax. It's hard to know what to advise from here. I suspect he will have similar difficulties with a new television unless the installer is able to explain to him clearly how to operate things satisfactorily at the set-up, as possibly the "faults", as he sees them, will be just the same. Sorry if I sound a bit harsh, but there is no need to spend a lot more money for history to repeat itself.
Mike, You're probably quite a nice guy and I respect your superior knowledge regarding TVs and as much as it hurts I have to agree with most of what you say. Now here comes the "but" I have
explained my level of expertise in the electronic field and you are probably thinking why don't I brush up on the ins and outs of modern technology. Well, I'll give you an idea what sort of chap I am which I hope does not shock you too much. It has been known for me to assemble flat packs before reading the instructions. I drove my last new car off the garage forecourt before reading the owners manual. I set up my aquarium without fully understanding water chemistry or parameters. So when it came to installing this TV I thought I'd leave it to the so called professionals. They were obviously on job and knock because they couldn't get out the door fast enough, their operating instruction were vague at best.
You mention one incident where I accidentally clicked on the AD button, now just for the record that wasn't me and consequently I had no idea why I was getting audio description. I agree with you, this is not a maintenance problem so why did I spend hours on the phone going round the bend following procedures that didn't make a bit of difference and finally an engineer coming out to fit a new mother board which of course was totally unnecessary. So on the few occasions when things go belly up it is not my discission to call out an engineer. It doesn't work like that Mike that rests with the coordinators. It has become very clear to me from past experiences that lack of knowledge is not just on my part. For instance when I could not program or play back recordings I spent another fortune on the phone with Humax telling me it was Samsung's fault and Samsung saying vice versa. Maybe you remember the answer to that particular problem Mike, it eventually cost me £1 and two minutes of my time to put it right, now there's a clue What I will say is I'm learning, yes its certainly learning the hard way and unless its a matter of life or death I don't think its really worth it especially when dear old Google is at your finger tips or guys like yourself on AVF can sort me out
 
The monitor idea is a good one, just connect the Humax into an hdmi port on the monitor and control using just the Humax remote.
 
Always the best thing with anything these days is to read the manual before you switch your latest gadget on. It saves a lot of time in the long run. There is often a short 'quick' guide to get you going.
 
The monitor idea is a good one, just connect the Humax into an hdmi port on the monitor and control using just the Humax remote.
The Humax is connected to an hdmi port and the Humax remote does do most of the controlling apart from turning on the set, selecting the source, settings etc and strangely enough I never know which remote will adjust the volume which frequently needs doing when changing channels. Apparently the prompting signal I get to "watch in HD" comes from freeview and some sets receive it and others don't. As far as I can make out nothing can be done about it. I still don't understand the repeated request to go into settings and chose my preferences, however, I did click on the preference menu, took a look and chose to do absolutely nothing and hey presto, not had a prompt since.
 
The Humax is connected to an hdmi port and the Humax remote does do most of the controlling apart from turning on the set, selecting the source, settings etc and strangely enough I never know which remote will adjust the volume which frequently needs doing when changing channels.
Here's an observation that might be relevant - when using my Humax PVR, the volume control on the Humax remote controls the volume for the SD channels but not the HD channels. I have no idea why but it's always been the case. I do have my Humax connected to the TV via an external AV amp though, so my set-up isn't identical to yours and my Humax PVR is also likely to be an older model than the one you have.

Have you checked your TV options to see if you can set it to turn on with your Humax PVR selected as the default source, rather than a Freeview channel ? Many TVs have this option and it would be one less thing to do when turning on to watch TV.

Apparently the prompting signal I get to "watch in HD" comes from freeview and some sets receive it and others don't. As far as I can make out nothing can be done about it.
That pop-up message is definitely annoying but I rarely see it because I watch most of the BBC channels in HD - is there any reason why you aren't doing the same, or is this just limited to the BBC Four HD and BBC News HD channels, which many people can only receive in SD (due to issues with the frequency on which they're transmitted) ?
 
I'll do my best to sort out your difficulty. Please forgive me if I come up with something you already know, but I am pretty much the same vintage as yourself and I like to know what and why I am dealing with as far as technology is concerned.

All television signals through an aerial in the UK are transmitted via a system called FREEVIEW. There is no other. Some channels are transmitted as HD (High Definition) and some as SD (Standard Definition). Your television and your Humax box are capable of receiving both. Some very much older televisions don't, which is why SD transmissions continue. In fact your TV is capable of showing UHD (ultra high definition) pictures, 4K, but let's not go there. If there is a choice between the two standards to chose from then go for the HD version and its better picture. That's what you've paid for!

Your decision to use the Humax, and its remote, as a primary way of controlling things is a good one. Ideally your TV should have been set up to work independently, which is a good idea just in case the Humax box dies on you. Which they do, apparently.

If, when, you switch both the TV and Humax on you automatically go to the HDM1 input on the TV, so much the better. That way you can continue with the Humax remote alsone. Obviously the Humax is physically connected to the TV via an HDMI lead.

I confess that I am not up to date with the latest Humax models so I am going to be making a bit of general guesswork. I did have one some time ago and lost a great deal of hair in the process as they used to be a bit 'clunky'. One thing I do know is that they need a really good signal from your aerial which should be fed directly into the box. There will be another 'outgoing' lead going to the aerial socket on your TV.

Now we are set to go. I'm relying on my colleague mikej to correct me if I'm wrong and fill in the gaps.

When you set up the Humax there should be a part of the routine that allows you to build up a 'Favourites' menu of TV stations. The same applies, incidentally, on your TV. This does not eliminate anything, but just makes life simpler so you can quickly find the TV stations you use the most. There are quite a lot on FREEVIEW. If your Humax (hereafter I'll call it the 'box') is also connected to the internet then there will be even more stations to choose from. Most of these are SD or worse in quality and pretty abysmal in content, but each to his own. (Both your TV and the box should be connected independently to the internet by the way. One does not serve the other)

You should then be directed to go through the whole list of channels your box picks up (the main menu) and be permitted to click on the ones you want to be your 'favourites'. You will only need to do this once. This might be where you have been asked to make a choice. All the major UK over the air channels, BBC1,BBC2,ITV etc have both HD and SD versions. Select the HD ones and you should not then be asked to make any further choices at a later date. Your new Menu of 'favourites', when you select it, either to watch a show live or elect a programme to record should then be reduced to a manageable length. Life is getting smarter....

There is always a "but" unfortunately. If you like to watch your local BBC news bulletin then, in most regions , this is still not available on the BBC1HD channel. Hopefully that will eventually change. For that reason alone you should chose both BBC1 and BBC1HD for your 'favourites' so that you can flip between the two when you need to.

Stick with your plan to ignore tuning in to channels on the TV and rely on the ones on the Humax box 'favourites' and you should have less reason for confusion. Actually there are several tuners in the box which can receive and record different channels whilst you are watching the main one. You don't have to think about that. It just happens in the background.

As far as the volume control issue goes, and I think mikej will have an answer for this, there should be a way that you can 'teach' your Humax remote control to operate the ON/OFF/VOLUME in the TV. This is usually achieved by putting in a code or by going through a easy procedure where you simply point the control at the TV and press a few keys. After that its 'bingo' and you can ignore using both controls which makes life even smarter. Let us know the model number of the Humax.

Of course with an internet connection you should have access to BBCiplayer, ITV Hub, More4, BBC Sounds (for radio) etc on your TV, and probably the Humax, so you can call up and watch past programmes free of charge and at any time without having to record them. That's part of the SMART aspect, but a a subject for another time if you need it.

Hope this helps.
 
Now we are set to go. I'm relying on my colleague mikej to correct me if I'm wrong and fill in the gaps.

When you set up the Humax there should be a part of the routine that allows you to build up a 'Favourites' menu of TV stations. The same applies, incidentally, on your TV. This does not eliminate anything, but just makes life simpler so you can quickly find the TV stations you use the most.
Yes - pretty-much all the PVRs and TVs I've bought in the last 10 years or so have had a way of making a 'favourites' list (which can be a great way of simplifying your program guide) and the FVP-5000T (which he appears to have) is no exception. You can usually reorder the channels too, which is a great way of replacing BBC1 (SD) at the top of the program guide with BBC1 HD (etc)

As far as the volume control issue goes, and I think mikej will have an answer for this, there should be a way that you can 'teach' your Humax remote control to operate the ON/OFF/VOLUME in the TV. This is usually achieved by putting in a code or by going through a easy procedure where you simply point the control at the TV and press a few keys. After that its 'bingo' and you can ignore using both controls which makes life even smarter. Let us know the model number of the Humax.
My (older) Humax PVR has it's own volume which is independent of the TV's volume so it's possible the 5000T has the same. The normal course of action is to set the TV volume at the loudest you'd want it with the TV remote (you'd only have to do this once) and then use the Humax remote for controlling the volume from that point on. I suspect my SD vs HD volume issue is down to my surround / AV amp settings so if @tosha is just using the TV for sound, then he may not have the same issue.

My PVR remote does actually have PVR / TV / DVD buttons across the top for additional control of external equipment but it doesn't look like the FVP-5000T has the same functionality, judging by the remote.
 
The Humax is connected to an hdmi port and the Humax remote does do most of the controlling apart from turning on the set, selecting the source, settings etc
Judging by your previous posts, you've got a Humax FVP-5000T - is that right and if so, does the remote look like this ?
Humax FVP-5000T remote.jpg

Those two buttons in the top left should allow you to turn on your TV and select the PVR source input using the Humax remote.

The manual suggests trying this to set it up...

Set the universal remote control to search mode

1. Press the TV STANDBY and OK buttons at the same time for 3 seconds. The TV STANDBY button will light on.
2. Direct the remote control to your TV and press the CH ^/v button to search the brand code of the TV.
3. Once your TV turns off press the OK button to lock the code. Your TV will turn off when matched with the code.
4. The TV STANDBY button will blink three times if the universal remote control setting is successful.

If that method doesn't work, there is a manual way to do it using 3-digit codes - there is a table on pages 34 & 35 of the Humax manual, which you can get from here if you don't have a hard copy.
 
My thanks for all your help, the last couple of days I've had a really bad cold witch is now buzzing around inside my head like a banshee. So I'm sat in front of my laptop in a daze knowing what ever I say will probably be crap. My wife has never had a sympathetic nature, she's buggered off with the grandchildren to see father Christmas at Exbury Gardens leaving me to defend for myself Today the priority is my aquarium, I need to carry out a water change and clean the filtration, the fish won't like it but that's tough, its in their own interest. When I'm back in the picture so to speak I hope I'll have a better understanding of your replies and get round to posting a follow up
 
I have to be honest, I quite agree with the op.

I have just purchased a Samsung 43AU8000 for my father in law as a early 80th birthday present. Now, surprisingly for his age he is quite a tech savvy guy (other than sometimes a bit gung ho with his approach to things) and had no problem with his aging 40" Samsung smart TV but the new one is, to be honest is starting to frustrate him (and me) somewhat!

I installed the TV for him on Tuesday and connected up his other equipment, a Humax Freesat HDR Box (not sure of the model but it is quite old), a Humax Foxsat T2 (again very old) and a LG Blu-ray player.

The Blu-ray player is fine as it is new but the 2 Humax boxes keep being dropped by the TV as it is unable to find which model they are and keeps asking for us to setup the universal remote with them! If you don't, it resets the input and renames them back to unknown.

He is more than happy to keep using the remotes for the Humax boxes but the Samsung insists that it sets up the universal remote (which doesn't work as they are to old). I have looked through the settings to try and find out if I can turn this functionality off but not been able to find anything relating to it.

I have been back 4 times now to try and sort this out (the last time around an hour ago) but I am not hopeful that the problem is sorted.

Now, I consider myself quite savvy as I have worked in IT for nearly 30 years, installed my own home cinema and home automation setup as well as installing TV's for many of my friends but even I am getting frustrated with it.

I understand that there can be handshake issues with newer 4k TVs and older equipment but for around an hour or so the attached devices work fine until the TV decides it wants you to set up the smart remote again!

I have no idea what he (or I suspect many others) would do if he didn't have someone like me to help him out.

All this clever functionality should be an easy option to disable should you wish to do so.

Oh, if someone has any suggestions (other than boxing it up and taking it back :) ) I'm all ears. :thumbsup:

** Just found a forum that has a key sequence on the remote to disable auto-detection on the HDMI inputs so that might solve the issue, fingers crossed.
 
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I've got both LG and Panasonic TVs in the house (connected to a variety of new and old devices and sources) and have never had any issues like the ones mentioned here. It looks to me like another reason (besides the lack of Dolby Vision) to avoid Samsung TVs !
 
I've got both LG and Panasonic TVs in the house (connected to a variety of new and old devices and sources) and have never had any issues like the ones mentioned here. It looks to me like another reason (besides the lack of Dolby Vision) to avoid Samsung TVs !
I only have LG TV's at home (an OLED and Nanocell) but have had Panasonic and Sony and have never had this kind of issue. I only purchased the Samsung because he already had a Samsung to keep it simple. Clearly I didn't think that idea through, doh :facepalm:
 
I only have LG TV's at home (an OLED and Nanocell) but have had Panasonic and Sony and have never had this kind of issue. I only purchased the Samsung because he already had a Samsung to keep it simple. Clearly I didn't think that idea through, doh :facepalm:
Don't get me wrong - the fact that they have extra features like the one you described is great, but they shouldn't be too intrusive and should certainly have the option to be turned off if not needed.
 
Is this a problem associated with a Humax/Samsung combo ? I use a Virgin Media box with a Samsung and am able to control the TV volume from the VM remote which was easy to set up.
 
Its beginning to to look like my Samsung QE49Q80TATXXU and Humax FVP 5000T need a little more harmonizing. They get on together reasonably well like the sales team at JL said they would but going by what's been said on here there's a few functions that don't gel. Here is a list what I've picked up on,
The TV does not work independently from the box ie if I transfer the aerial from the box to the TV then I get no reception, so it looks like the TV needs tuning. The aerial strength although good may not be good enough for the Humax, I was advised to stay with the loft installation for no other reason than outside aerials are subject to storm damage and deterioration by the elements. That I can relate to because only recently next doors aerial came crashing down into my front garden which made me think it could have been quite nasty if it clobbered someone. It was mentioned there should be a cable out of the box to the TV and I believe at some point there was but again I was informed by an engineer the HDMI connection is all that's needed. I have no idea if the TV and box are independently connected to the internet, something else that needs checking. The Humax remote will not turn on the TV and as much as I appreciate your instructions how to overcome this I think I'll pass and let my daughter sort it. Okay, so it may only be 11.00 but I'm already looking inside my drinks cabinet trying to find something to combat this ruddy cold. Thanks again for all your help. Oh, and if there's no further posts then here's wishing you all a very merry Christmas.
 
The HDMI connection is the only connection needed if you intend to do all your off-air TV viewing via the Humax box.
If you want to watch your TV's Freeview tuner independently of the Humax box you need to connect an “RF Lead” (Male to Female short coax cable) from the Humax RF out socket to the TV's aerial socket and then go through the TV's setup/tuning menu.
Before doing that you need to go into the Humax box menu and ensure “RF Loopthrough” is set to “on”
 

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