Terrestrial television is convenient, offers a good picture and about 20 free broadcast channels. But it happens that a person who wants to take advantage of such excellent opportunities discovers that his DVB T2 set-top box does not find channels. Sometimes this happens unexpectedly when the equipment has already been configured and has been in use for a long time. It rarely happens that a DVB T2 TV set-top box does not show all channels. In most cases, you can fix the problem yourself. It is enough to act consistently and carefully.
STS channel disappeared on TV - what to do, expert answers - correct.ru
Several TV channels, owned in whole or in part by the National Media Group, left the online platform of the TV operator “Tricolor”: “Channel Five”, STS, “Domashny”, REN TV, “Che”, “STS Love” and “Izvestia”.
It should be noted that four of the listed TV channels are among the 20 mandatory public TV channels of the Russian Federation: “Channel Five” - in the first multiplex, TV channels Ren TV, STS and “Domashny” - in the second. The reasons for the incident have not been officially reported. However, a representative of the Tricolor company explained to Cable Guy that the departure of TV channels from the platform occurred on the initiative of the media holding itself. They sent a letter to Tricolor about this. To resolve the problem, Tricolor plans to hold consultations. It is not specified who exactly will take part in them.
A loud statement, “I want STS! “You just don’t need to shout here, but follow the instructions: If instead of channels you see the words “encoded” on your monitor, then this means that your subscription has expired. To renew it, pay for your package to which you are connected. If the monitor says “no signal,” then several options are possible: the weather has turned bad (wait until it clears), the receiver on the dish has moved (turn it in the right direction yourself or call a specialist). So that in the future you do not have questions about the operation of the satellite dish (so as not to ask here on “answers” and forums “what to do?”), watch the “information channel” (always available, even if the subscription has expired) for your television. There you will find useful information about what to do if the channels do not show, how to pay for the service package and much more.
Possible reasons
When the TV screen does not show anything or the message “No signal” appears, multiple signs contribute to this. These signs are most easily classified into categories:
- Hardware - when the problem is in the hardware. There may be an incorrect connection or breakdown of any element of the equipment.
- Software – when problems and failures are caused by incorrectly set parameters. With 99% probability, such a malfunction can be resolved by the user himself.
- External factors – when the problem is related to reasons beyond the user’s control (bad weather, broken repeater, etc.).
To eliminate errors, you should know:
- The UHF antenna (or all-wave) and the amplifier are connected to the TV tuner with different wires.
- Connecting the receiver to the TV is done through the AV or HDMI ports and the cables corresponding to these ports.
- Connecting a TV tuner to a computer works via a VGA port. If the requirement is not met, the equipment does not see the tuner.
- You can find out whether the channel search on your TV works or not by connecting it to a regular over-the-air antenna.
- In the set-top box menu settings, you can start auto-searching for channels and see what happens. If the picture changes, but there are no channels, there is a malfunction in the signal receiver or antenna.
- You can check the signal quality at your own address using the map.rtrs.rf service. It doesn’t matter if you are connecting to generation 1 or 2 of the multiplex. The only thing that matters is the distance from the repeater; the quality of the signal depends on it.
- When the gain is active and the image changes on the display, but it still shows poorly - you have a low-power antenna or the signal is not strong enough.
- It is recommended to update the firmware if there are no channels. Since the software tends to become outdated, and not every developer can support it, this leads to incorrect search for channels at different frequencies.
- Always choose the right channel on your TV. “Sourse” button on the TV remote control and select the connection channel for the DVB-T2 receiver. After that, pick up the remote control from the set-top box and catch the necessary channels. Otherwise, nothing will be found except analog channels.
- Sometimes, preventative work (repair, maintenance) is carried out on television towers and repeaters. You can also find out about this on the website rtrs.rf
- Climatic conditions can also disrupt the display of TV channels. Although there is no such strong influence of bad weather as it was with analog television, strong winds and clouds can further degrade the signal if the tower is really far away. If you install a more powerful antenna, the problem will disappear on its own.
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What to do if the tuner does not find channels
If during home diagnostics you have ruled out almost everything, that is, there are no hardware or software errors, here are the probable reasons:
- Technical problems with the tuner - it is recommended to take the device to a service center;
- The TV firmware is outdated and also needs to be updated (along with the drivers necessary for the software to work). You can find it on the manufacturer’s website;
- Professional work on the repeater.
- If specific channels are missing, then their operation may have been stopped.
- Alternatively, you are not searching for channels correctly. Read our instructions.
The channels on the digital set-top box are missing - what to do?
The channels stopped showing after the first connection of the set-top box - all equipment needs to be reconnected. The situation is different when the programs suddenly disappear, in this case the integrity of the wires is checked and a call is made to the provider. In the case when channels 11 to 20 are no longer shown, a repeat search is performed, since the frequency may have changed.
Automatic search
If channels are lost, before calling the wizard, you can try to fix the problem yourself; for this, the search is automatically configured. Procedure:
- go to the main “Menu” via the button on the remote control;
- from the menu that opens, select “Settings” - “Automatic”;
- go to the “Search” column and wait for the download to complete.
After completion, 20 channels will become available; if there are failures during the operation or the results are not saved, the programs may be lost.
Manual search
Manual search is more reliable, but requires entering additional information. It differs from automatic in that the frequency, speed and broadcast satellite are set manually. Once you have completed entering the information, go to the settings; when selected, click “Manual search”.
Why are not all channels shown?
If the set-top box for digital television does not show all channels, the reasons for the phenomenon may be as follows.
- The provider has stopped broadcasting some channels. Information about this can be found on its official website or the resource rtrs.ru. In this case, you will need to conduct an automatic search to compile a new channel list.
- The set-top box looks for broadcasts on the wrong frequencies and misses some multiplexes. You can find all available channels by manual search. Before this work, it is recommended to go to the website rtrs.ru, call up the interactive broadcast map and select your city. The system will provide information about the multiplexes available in the area and their frequencies. The latter will need to be entered during a manual search.
- Another reason why the TV tuner does not show all channels has already been considered. This is an old firmware version.
It is worth understanding that the broadcast network is still in its development stage. Therefore, locally, in different cities, there may be a different number of available channels . Somewhere there are only 10 of them in one package, somewhere 20 on two multiplexes. In some regions there are more than 10 channels, as broadcasts from local television centers are added to them.
Problem solving
If your digital set-top box doesn’t pick up channels, what to do is don’t panic. I will help you figure out why this happens and how to fix it and find a TV signal. To solve the problem, you need to check all possible causes one by one. You should start with the simplest ones.
Weather
Although digital television is more stable, signal transmission is still affected by weather and climate. Precipitation and fog reduce signal quality, thunderstorms or strong winds can cause equipment failures on the TV tower. In this case, the location, power and directivity of the antenna are important. If the TV began to disappear precisely during bad weather, then you need to wait until the bad conditions end. After this, the signal quality should be restored and the channels will be found again.
To solve the problem of why the set-top box does not show channels during bad weather, you need a powerful receiver, possibly with an amplifier. Ideally, it should be external, aimed at the TV tower. You can consult electronics sellers or neighbors about what antenna you need and will solve this problem.
Scheduled work or malfunction on the operator’s side
As in the previous case, you need to wait for this reason to complete. Only after this will the TV channels be restored. You can usually read about scheduled work or breakdowns on the website rtrs.ru or by calling the hotline. During a problem, the TV set-top box does not find channels for digital television - either all, or only some.
Another external problem may be on the side of a separate TV channel. If the television itself or something breaks down, then either one channel or two or three more, connected to it by one television studio or transmitter, may disappear. It is also possible that the TV channel is now broadcast on a different frequency or in a different multiplex, and then you will have to find it using a “manual search” in the set-top box menu. But the latter problem rarely happens, and the TV channel makes every effort to report this even before changing the frequency or location in the multiplex, so that it is as easy as possible to find it.
Problems with wires
If you have no reason to think that the set-top box for digital television does not find channels due to external reasons - for example, because everything is showing well at your neighbors - then you need to check your device. And the first thing to do is make sure it is connected correctly. Here's what to do if your digital set-top box stops picking up channels for this reason:
- the antenna wire must be connected to the correct connector of the device;
- a separate wire and a separate connector are sometimes used for the antenna amplifier;
- The set-top box must be connected to the TV. Most often, HDMI or “triple tulip” is used for this;
- the TV must be switched to the signal source from the device - HDMI or AV, respectively;
- Naturally, both the set-top box and the TV must be connected to the mains and turned on.
A separate point when checking the wires is their condition. Creases, abrasions, and breaks can completely or partially interrupt the signal going to the device or TV. Cables are often damaged by animals: pets can bite or break important wires, and the cable of an external antenna can be damaged by birds. This is why the digital set-top box does not pick up the antenna signal. In such cases, it is necessary to replace the damaged cable.
Antenna problems
If the malfunctions described for bad weather conditions also appear in good weather, then most likely you have problems with signal reception. You can read separately about how to choose a good receiver for digital television. But general recommendations if the set-top box does not find digital television channels due to the antenna are as follows:
- the antenna must be decimeter (or universal);
- outdoor is better than indoor;
- narrow-beam is better than wide-beam, but only if the TV tower is in sight;
- should be directed towards the television tower as far as possible;
- active is better than passive, but only at a distance from the TV tower;
- the higher the better;
- The shorter the wire from the antenna to the device, the better.
Regarding the choice of antenna, I advise you to talk with your neighbors or electronics sellers. They know exactly which receiver is right for your area or home. You can also check the map on the website map.rtrs.rf to navigate the areas of reliable signal reception. In such an area, the device should find channels even with a weak antenna.
Software errors
Software glitches are a common reason why a digital set-top box does not search for channels. The device may try to find them on the wrong frequencies, skip one of the multiplexes, or both at once. Software glitches can also lead to other unexpected problems, such as volume switching and menus not working properly. Therefore, if the device starts acting up in this way, it needs to be fixed. Here's what you can do if your set-top box doesn't find channels:
- Normal reboot. Restart the device so that it clears errors and clears the internal memory. If a problem where the device does not see channels occurs unexpectedly, then a reboot can fix everything.
- Reset to factory settings. This operation completely erases all data and settings, so take this factor into account. Find the item “Reset to factory settings” or similar in the set-top box menu and follow all the instructions on the screen. After this, the software will be updated to the state it was in when purchased. Perform an automatic search to check if the gadget now finds all TV channels.
- Reflashing the device. Very often, older firmware versions do not allow you to find digital channels, or do not support other functions. New software fixes errors, speeds up work and can solve a lot of other problems, if, of course, they are in the software. To update, please see the separate article. The easiest way to do this is to download the firmware file to a flash drive, connect it to the set-top box and start the installation using the device menu.
Hardware problems
If the previous methods did not work, and the set-top box does not find any channels or only some, then most likely this is a problem with the device itself. You can check this by temporarily changing your device if you have the option. If the wires, antenna, TV remain the same, and you change the set-top box, you will immediately understand whether there was a problem with it.
Hardware problems may be related to the power supply, tuner, internal connections, or electronics on the motherboard. If you are not familiar with electrical engineering and soldering, contact a service center. If you are familiar, I still recommend contacting experts to save time and, possibly, a warranty on the device.
Now you know why the set-top box does not pick up digital television channels and what to do about it. I hope this instruction will help you deal with the problem and fix it. Always remember that you need to check every little thing, for example, the fit of the wire in the connector. Most often, the problem is resolved quickly, and you can enjoy watching again. If the malfunction is more serious, then you will be able to identify it and talk to the service center technician in more detail.
How to increase the number of channels on T2
If an external or built-in tuner does not find terrestrial digital TV channels from one of the multiplexes, check through the map.rtrs.rf service to see if it is available in your region of residence. There you will also find all the necessary data for receiving a signal from the tower you need and can increase the number of channels from 10 to 20.
Useful: What is a digital television coverage map and how to use it