True Digital (digital only) sets

Rlpowell

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Does anyone know of any true digital TV set, most of todays sets are dual system with an obsolescent analogue channel as well as current digital (usually freeview) tuner. Us oldies remember the similar situation back in the '60s when 625 line replaced the earlier 425 line sets. For a time all sets were dual system, but finally 425 line was relegated to history and sets became 625 line only, this was helped by the simultaneous introduction of colour.

You may ask why I want a digital set, well not for me, but for my in-laws, and many older folk the present generation of sets are just too complex. Every time we visit the inlaws, we put their present CRT set to Digital, and when we leave they immediately switch back to the analogue they understand. I fear for their use of most modern sets with multiple inputs, and input select button. I'm sure that if a decent manufacturer introduced single "freeview" only set, with a simple alternative to allow connection of a recording device, it would be very popular, but all manufacturers seem set to only offer more and more complex "advanced" sets, fine for many (including myself) but not for all.
 
No, I can’t say I’m aware of any TVs that have only a digital tuner.

The analogue tuner doesn’t become totally redundant after digital switchover. Sky for example can be distributed around your house to other TVs using the Sky box’s RF connection. You need to use the analogue tuner on the TVs around the house to pick up this video signal.

When digital switchover occurs in your in-laws’ area, they won’t get any TV if they persist with the analogue tuner – so I’m sure they’ll make the switch when need be.
 
My neighbour (I think accidentally, in fact) occasionally found that "she can't get ITV3" (or whichever digital channel), and it was always becuase she had somehow flipped the TV to analogue and was hence limited to analogue 1 2 3 4 5.

What I did there was to tune all the analogue tuner positions on her TV to an empty frequency (UHF channel) so that, if she does do this again, she'll get nothing but a blue screen. Mimicking analogue switch-off, if you like. This was in the hope it will prompt her to flip back to digital straight away, rather than watching, happily, BBC1 (say) for a while and then wondering hat has happened to the "other" programmes.
 
Alternatively, you could buy a tv that has no atv/dtv switch
Current Toshibas, for instance just put the analogue channels on 901-905, always defaulting to digital.:smashin:
 
I'm sure that if a decent manufacturer introduced single "freeview" only set, with a simple alternative to allow connection of a recording device, it would be very popular, but all manufacturers seem set to only offer more and more complex "advanced" sets, fine for many (including myself) but not for all.

That might actually cost more. At the moment it's probably cheaper to combine the technology on a single chip and offer both rather than remove the feature and know you might get smaller sales or something.
 
Not quite what the OP meant, but do any old timers (like TG! :D) remember the digital tv sets back in the 1970's manufactured (I think) by ITT?

Bearing in mind the vintage, they converted the o/p of the tuner to a digital signal and then did all the processing in the digital domain.

Way ahead of its time, but I rather think a bit of a sales gimmick and more trouble than it was worth.

Certainly they seem to have rapidly abandoned the idea...
 
Not quite what the OP meant, but do any old timers (like TG! :D) remember the digital tv sets back in the 1970's manufactured (I think) by ITT?

Bearing in mind the vintage, they converted the o/p of the tuner to a digital signal and then did all the processing in the digital domain.

Way ahead of its time, but I rather think a bit of a sales gimmick and more trouble than it was worth.

Certainly they seem to have rapidly abandoned the idea...

Ah but do you remember the tuner boxes to enable you to get Independent Television as well as the BBC for the earliest sets that had a pre-set tuner that could not be switched to another VHF channel?
 
Ah but do you remember the tuner boxes to enable you to get Independent Television as well as the BBC for the earliest sets that had a pre-set tuner that could not be switched to another VHF channel?

They were basically just a modulator that modulated either of the two VHF channels BBC (band 1) and ITV (band 111) onto a single vhf carrier that the TV tuner was tuned to using a changeover switch on the somewhat large tin box. You needed a bloody great massive H aerial for BBC (vertical polarised) and the more familiar Yagi array for the higher frequency band 111 ITv reception
 
And the old Band 3 aerials can be reused as DAB aerials now (I managed to scrounge one while there's till a few around).
 
Ah but do you remember the tuner boxes to enable you to get Independent Television as well as the BBC for the earliest sets that had a pre-set tuner that could not be switched to another VHF channel?


I certainly do.

We had a 9" Ferguson that was TRF, so it was locked to Crystal Palace Ch1.

(In fact, I think it was double sideband for Alexandra Palace! :eek:)

The convertor received Croydon Ch9 and fed it at Ch1 into the tv, obviously with much co-channel patterning.

In fact the only time we could view ITV clearly was late at night, when BBC TV closed down first!

Ah, those were the days... :D
 
I certainly do.

We had a 9" Ferguson that was TRF, so it was locked to Crystal Palace Ch1.

(In fact, I think it was double sideband for Alexandra Palace! :eek:)

The convertor received Croydon Ch9 and fed it at Ch1 into the tv, obviously with much co-channel patterning.

In fact the only time we could view ITV clearly was late at night, when BBC TV closed down first!

Ah, those were the days... :D

What no magnifying glass in front of the screen to make it look like a ginormous 12" or even better a coloured screen green at the bottom for the grass and blue at the top for the sky (not the BSB offering) . Who needs colour TV :eek:
 
What no magnifying glass in front of the screen to make it look like a ginormous 12" or even better a coloured screen green at the bottom for the grass and blue at the top for the sky (not the BSB offering) . Who needs colour TV :eek:

Actually my Auntie had one of those, but before I'm tempted to brag about my Granny's Nipkov Disc, perhaps we'd better get back on topic or the Mods will be after us! :D
 
As a child someone gave me an enormous valve tv/radio set with a 9" round tube for a screen to play with. A bit like the electrical equivilant of playing on the motorway.You had to tune in on a radio dial to pick up a picture. It had an gigantic speaker which need a high voltage coil to be activated to make it work. I'm guessing it was a pre-war model. Never really worked and I stripped it down for parts....regret,regret regret......it would be worth a small fortune on Ebay.
 
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