If your Freeview telly isn’t working this week there’s a very simple reason why.
Homes across the UK are being warned that their nightly fix of TV could be disrupted this week by the weather. Yes, the good old British climate appears to wreaking havoc with the signal that beams live telly into living rooms. This could mean some will be seeing a broken picture or simply can’t tune into their favourite channels.
“Freeview viewers across the UK could see some disruption to their TV reception from Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th September 2024,” Freeview explained in an update on its service page.
“This is due to high pressure which could disrupt the TV signals which Freeview uses.”
This annoying glitch due to current conditions happens at random times throughout the year with the last warning issued late last month.
So why does high pressure mess things up so badly?
As the BBC explains, “High pressure can cause two potential problems. The first is that you receive a weaker signal, as the signal from your local transmitter is lifted higher into the sky. The second is that the signal from a distant transmitter interferes with your reception.”
Unfortunately, there’s absolutely nothing you can do to fix it as things such as booster or trying to retune things leaving you in the same situation as you started. in fact, Freeview is actively telling people NOT to retune their screens.
“You are advised not to retune your TV during this time – reception will be restored once the high pressure passes.”
If you are desperate to watch a boxset or can’t live without your soaps there is another way to tune in – all you need is an internet-connected telly.
Freeview Play is a service that uses broadband rather than an aerial to broadcast content into homes so it’s not affected by the weather. You can also use player such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX to watch live and on-demand TV.
Another option is to tune into entertainment via Freeview’s mobile app instead. This service is available to download for free from app stores such as Apple and Google Play.
The final thing you can do is switch to Freely. This recently launched service, which comes built into a range of new televisions, offers fully live and on-demand content without needing an aerial.
Everything is whizzed to screen via broadband so there will never be any weather-related reception issues.
Want to know more? Find out all about Freely here.
