Do I need Freeview box to watch on Samsung TV?

Posted by PaulKarlFeyerabend@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 14 comments

I thought I knew how this all worked but quickly realising that's not the case... I have a Samsung TV manufactured around 2021, and I understand this means that it doesn't have a Freeview decoder built in. I've picked up an indoor aerial (I know, I know... it's a stopgap before a more permanent solution). When I connect the aerial and scan for channels, I get zilch. Is this because I don't have a Freeview box connected between the aerial and the TV? I.e. is this needed to watch free TV? Appreciate that even if the answer is "yes", I may not have good enough signal with the indoor aerial. But just want to understand / diagnose where the primary issue is at this point.

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14 Comments

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Sweet-Agent5489@reddit

I bought a Samsung Monitor Tv by accident … so can’t get tv channels do I need a freeview box as well as fire stick ..

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Chemical_Custard5410@reddit

If your TV does not contain a Freeview tuner then you will need a separate Freeview tuner to watch Freeview over the air. An indoor aerial alone won't be sufficient. (Surprised to see that a modern TV sold in the UK does not contain a Freeview tuner but a quick Google suggest that this is in fact the case.)

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Sweet-Agent5489@reddit

Do you need a fire stick as well as freeview

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PaulKarlFeyerabend@reddit (OP)

Thank you. Just to clarify, should I expect the TV to pick up any channels at all without the Freeview box? I only ask because, if the answer is yes, perhaps the signal just isn't good enough and I'd be wasting my money buying a Freeview box without first sorting out the signal.

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Chemical_Custard5410@reddit

No, in the UK there is no terrestrial broadcast TV any more except for Freeview so you would expect to need a Freeview tuner to get anything over the air. (Depending on where you are you might in theory pick up a signal from another country but that's unlikely with an indoor aerial and I'm not sure what's still being broadcast from where.) Though you might also want to consider just using on-demand services if you have a decent Internet connection. If you don't watch "live" broadcast TV (either over the air or streamed) or use BBC iPlayer then you can legally avoid the requirement to buy a TV licence.

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PaulKarlFeyerabend@reddit (OP)

Brilliant, thanks for the clarification. Yes, I've been using the apps at the moment (with a TV licence for live viewing / iPlayer). Just quite miss the EPG browsing experience and immediacy of more traditional broadcast. Thanks again.

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NoCommunication7@reddit

My one doesn't seem to have freeview, just this 'Samsung TV' thing full of woke american programs

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EmFan1999@reddit

You shouldn’t do, but I can’t make my 2018 Samsung tv find any free view stations at all, aside from what it picks up from wifi. Something changed when they added Samsung tv or whatever it is

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NoProductAtAll@reddit

> I have a Samsung TV manufactured around 2021, and I understand this means that it doesn't have a Freeview decoder built in. What? Every TV made in the last 15 years should have Freeview built in. I refuse to believe there is one that doesn't.

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PaulKarlFeyerabend@reddit (OP)

I was reading sources like this: https://www.aerialforce.co.uk/how-to-set-up-freeview-on-your-samsung-smart-tv/#:~:text=However%2C%20newer%20Samsung%20Smart%20TV,you%20can%20access%20Freeview%20channels. I may well be mistaken and glad to be corrected if so!

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SuboptimalOutcome@reddit

Sadly, you're right newer Samsung TVs don't have Freeview, you should still be able to get Samsung's TV Plus, but it's a bit of a random scattering of channels. Samsung seem to assume you'll be using apps for mainstream channels like BBC and ITV. It's a bit of scandal really, to save all of around £2 on manufacturing a TV set. It just means needless clutter of having to have a separate Freeview box.

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Saw_Boss@reddit

My S95B from 2022 has Freeview.

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PaulKarlFeyerabend@reddit (OP)

The plot thickens... I just sooke to a friend who told me that they have a Samsung 2022 Crystal UHD model (not sure about the exact one) connected directly to an aerial and they get all the Freeview channels too. Strange that there doesn't appear to be a clear answer as to which TVs do/don't have it built in.

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Saw_Boss@reddit

What TV do you have?