The TV does not find channels and does not tune in: 4 reasons

There can be many reasons why the TV does not find channels. These include lost settings, incorrect antenna connections, and amplifier malfunctions. Some reasons can be dealt with on your own, while others will require the help of professionals.

Need a professional TV repair? Contact . An experienced TV technician will quickly and efficiently repair equipment at home in Moscow. Fill out an application on the website or call the number. We work from 7:00 to 23:00 without breaks and weekends.

Equipment selection

The reason your TV won't tune in can be very simple: it's out of date. Since the summer of 2021, our country has completely switched to digital broadcasting, the standard of which is DVB-T2. If the TV receiver is old, it may not support this standard. To set it up you will have to buy a special set-top box - a receiver.

For cable or satellite TV, you may also need a special set-top box if the TV does not support this broadcast format.

Analogue television does not work: what to do

Let's tell you why analog television stopped working and whether something can be done in this case...

If analogue television does not work, you need to think carefully first - the fact is that the planned shutdown of analogue TV did not affect those subscribers who pay for it.
TV manufacturer, service operator - none of this matters. In other words, if a subscriber pays for a collective antenna using HOA receipts or pays for the services of a cable provider, then analog TV will not be turned off. By the way, if the TV was released after 2012, it can easily receive digital TV.

The era of analogue television broadcasting, which was broadcast using already outdated data transmission methods, has come to an end. Analogue television will be switched off for subscribers who have old-style individual antennas

Such devices are used only in the outback - in villages and villages where there is no way to connect to cable TV.

Rambler reports that Russia has completed the fourth stage on the path to universal digitalization of TV. The latter regions, home to about 40 million people, were disconnected from analog TV on October 14. Thus, in 2021, the entire country finally switched to digital TV broadcasting.

Especially for you: Yandex.Browser does not respond how to fix: updated

Digital TV is supported only by the latest generation of TVs - in other words, those released after 2012. But even if the subscriber has an outdated TV, he will be able to watch digital TV - for this he needs to purchase a digital set-top box. It will allow you to watch up to 20 digital channels for free

Federal law provides benefits for those subscribers who have a minimum income or live below the subsistence level - local authorities will help such citizens install equipment.

The problem of analog television not working, therefore, is not as serious as one might think - most often a banal auto-search for channels helps. And it’s even more likely that the subscriber simply did not pay the operator on time for TV services.

The Deputy Head of the Ministry of Communications issued a warning about the activities of swindlers who are trying to sell the population set-top boxes complete with an expensive contract for connecting to cable TV.

According to various estimates, after the abandonment of analogue television broadcasting, a third of the country's population could be left without a television. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications published a more realistic forecast - only a tenth of the residents of the Russian Federation lost access to television, and these are only those subscribers who had individual old-style antennas.

According to the Ministry of Communications, at the beginning of the transition to digital TV, more than a million people used analogue television signals. By 2020, this figure had dropped to 20 thousand - the gradual transition to digital television began back in 2009. It is now clear that more than 170 billion rubles were allocated for it, including 97 billion rubles from the budget of the federal districts. This is how the question of why analog television does not work was resolved.

Is something broken or not working? Tell us about your problem with your TV, smartphone, application or other device and we will solve it - write your question in the comments to this article, or by email [email protected] - we will definitely answer your question and solve it within one weeks. We will soon be holding a blitz with unusual prizes for our regular readers - keep an eye on the site every day.

Especially for you: How to pay in installments at Tinkoff: step-by-step guide 2021

Did you like the article? Support our IT magazine in any convenient way! For now, we are relying on pure enthusiasm, but we do not do custom reviews

Difficulties with the antenna

The next most important and frequent situation when the TV does not see channels is a problem with the antenna. When installing and connecting it, the following conditions must be observed:

It should be directed towards the signal source. This is critical for both satellite and analog TV. If you shift the direction of the satellite dish by a few degrees, this will negatively affect signal reception. The same goes for an analog antenna. It should be directed towards the nearest repeater.
The television signal from the repeater to the antenna should not be blocked by impenetrable objects. They can be tall buildings made of reinforced concrete, metal hangars, roofs, natural hills, dense tree crowns, etc. Decimeter waves do not bend around obstacles, but are reflected or absorbed by them.
Interference from nearby equipment. This mainly applies to an analog antenna.

If your TV cannot find channels, check that your antenna is installed correctly. It may be worth turning it towards the repeater or installing it higher.

Why the antenna does not pick up digital channels: what to do

Let's tell you why the antenna stopped picking up digital channels...

If the question of why the antenna does not pick up digital channels has become relevant, it should be noted that the most common cause of such failures is a malfunction of the antenna itself.
Not all subscribers know that different types of antennas are used to receive digital television. For example, to receive analog television, so-called MV antennas are used. To receive digital TV, decimeter antennas are used - they differ in that they can receive a wave range from 1 meter to 10 centimeters.

Nowadays you can find combined devices that are capable of receiving both digital and analog signals simultaneously. To improve the level of signal reception, it is necessary to remove long structural elements from the antenna - they are used to receive an analog signal

The answer to why the antenna does not pick up digital channels is most often associated with the incorrect type of antenna that the digital TV subscriber wants to use.

Those who want to save on installing an antenna choose the so-called grid/Polish antenna - it is capable of receiving a digital signal, but in some cases it is necessary to dismantle the amplifier

If the tower is far enough away from the antenna when the amplifier is turned on, the digital signal may also be lost.

Using an indoor antenna to receive digital television is possible only in cases where there is a good signal level in the area of use. Otherwise, digital TV subscribers may encounter poor-quality images and constant freezing of channels.

Especially for you: What is the frequency of digital television in Moscow: new in 2021

The quality of digital TV depends on the location of the antenna - it must be installed so that it is directed towards the tower. In addition, it is necessary to mount the antenna as high as possible so that there are no obstacles between the antenna and the tower

Thus, the problem of why the antenna does not pick up digital channels really exists and is solved quite simply.

If the previous instructions did not help, you need to troubleshoot software problems - to do this, perform the following steps:

Set the value to “Others” when searching for channels, in the “Country” field;
Conduct a manual channel search;
If the tuner is built into the TV, you need to reset its settings to factory settings, and then select Automatic tuning. If an external device is used, you need to reset the set-top box settings;
Update the firmware of the set-top box.

Most likely, the answer to why the antenna does not pick up digital channels will be found at the initial stage of diagnosis.

Especially for you: Why 10 digital television channels were turned off

Did you like the article? Support our IT magazine in any convenient way! For now, we are relying on pure enthusiasm, but we do not do custom reviews

Connection errors

Another source of problems that the TV cannot be set up may be an incorrect connection of the digital set-top box or receiver.

There are several reasons here:

Incorrect cable selection. To connect all types of set-top boxes to a television receiver, you need to choose a cable with a characteristic impedance of 75 Ohms. If you use a cable with less resistance, the TV will not pick up the signal and find channels.
The attachment is not connected correctly. This applies to older models in which you need to use a high-frequency modulator to provide the receiver output or supply a signal to the TV through the “tulip”. Modern manufacturers produce many different connectors, and when buying them, you need to clearly know which plugs are suitable for the connectors of your device.
Signal amplifier. This is true for an indoor antenna. For good operation of the television receiver, it is necessary that the antenna have a built-in or external amplifier.

Violation of settings

A built-in or external tuner is used to decode a digital signal. If it malfunctions, the TV does not show all channels. You can correct the situation when supplying a signal via a cable if you use the following options:

Reset all tuner settings to factory settings. Restore channels through auto search.
Carry out software updates and re-flashing of equipment.
When using pay satellite TV, you need to update your access card.

To re-tune your terrestrial TV, you need to:

Purchase and connect an amplifier to the antenna and a digital set-top box to the television receiver.
Go to "Menu".
Select channel settings.
Start auto search or search for channels manually. After searching, write the results into the console’s memory.

To perform the operations correctly, you need to read the instructions for the set-top box and follow all the recommendations specified there.

Reasons why Samsung TV does not see digital channels

Often, auto-search through an antenna provides a large list of digital TV channels. If your device does not find any, there may be several reasons:

incorrectly selected antenna type;
incorrect antenna installation;

How to enable forwarding on Samsung

These two reasons can be solved manually at home. The antenna and TV must be supplied with instructions in which you can find recommendations on the correct installation and configuration of the antenna and searching for channels.

Transmitting side problems

If the TV is configured and operating in normal mode and does not search for channels, then a possible cause may be a fault in signal transmission:

Cable break. To make sure of this, you need to ring the cable laid in the apartment. If no break is found, then it is worth checking the cable to the switchboard. If there is no break there either, contact the company that provides digital TV.
Your satellite or terrestrial TV provider may experience problems. Consumers are always notified about this by posting information on the official websites of companies, where they indicate the time of repair work.

If you have followed all the above recommendations, and the TV does not find digital channels, then this indicates a malfunction of the TV itself. Call a technician by phone.

Solving the problem yourself

If the device cannot be configured or it does not show all channels, you should pay attention to the condition of the antenna . This defect most often occurs when connecting new television devices. The cable may break or be pinched by furniture. An external inspection will often reveal the problem.

If the antenna is in good condition, it is worth inspecting the plug and the quality of the antenna connection . It should be free of oxidation and other defects.

If there are no problems after a visual inspection, contact your neighbors. If everything is fine with them, then the next step is to inspect the receiver or tuner , if available. If there is a problem with it, the TV does not find digital channels while analog channels are operating normally.

If these manipulations did not help, and the TV still does not see channels, you need to seek help from professionals who will thoroughly diagnose the device and repair it at home with a guarantee.

We strongly recommend that you do not attempt DIY repairs, as this often leads to additional failures, which will subsequently require higher financial costs. That is why, before starting repair work, evaluate your capabilities.