After an exhausting day at work, you sat down in front of the TV, intending to watch a program from your favorite broadcaster. After a few minutes, however, you have noticed that the channel you are interested in is no longer accessible and you suspect that you have accidentally deleted it: do not worry, this is a problem that can often be solved quickly and during this my tutorial on how to recover TV channels blacked out, I have every intention of giving you clear directions on what to do.
Before proceeding, however, you must first check that the television or decoder is compatible with the latest terrestrial digital transmission standard, namely DVB-T2 HEVC: the latter allows you to obtain better audio and video quality in the face of a lower electromagnetic pollution and will replace previous standards by 2023. In addition, you should know that some broadcasters have stopped broadcasting programs in standard resolution, opting for the exclusive use of high definition (or HD).
Therefore, if when tuning to a certain channel, the message Channel not accessible , Signal not supported or similar appears, it means that the TV or the decoder are not compatible with that type of transmission, due to the lack of support for DVB-T2 HEVC and/or for those in HD resolution: in this case, you may have to completely replace the device in your possession. To find out more about deadlines and methods for checking audiovisual equipment with Nova TV Digital, check out the in-depth study I dedicated to the topic. And if your audiovisual system fully supports the new technologies for transmitting television programs, go ahead and read this guide: I’m sure that in a few minutes you will be able to solve your problem. I wish you happy reading and good luck!
Recovery mode
Basically, there are three possible ways to recover mistakenly deleted TV channels: manually tune the TV or decoder, opt for automatic retuning, or rearrange the channel list. In the first case, it is possible to manually indicate the “data” relative to the channel to be added to the pre-existing list (frequency, band, etc.), in order to allow the television to carry out a targeted search.
In the second case, however, tuning takes place automatically: the TV searches for channels again and, after completely eliminating the old list, automatically adds them to a new list.
Depending on the number of deleted channels, it is convenient to opt for one or the other choice: if, for example, you deleted only one channel by mistake, I suggest you add it again by tuning manually; if, on the other hand, you deleted several channels together or canceled the entire list of channels, I advise you to recover them by performing an automatic retuning of the television.
If, then, by scrolling through the list of channels on the device, you are able to identify those that interest you but not the “number” in which they should appear, you can opt for a new ordering of the list of channels, activating the LCN option on the television (and clicking on that the programs are sorted according to the nationally established standard numbering), or by manually repositioning those that, in your opinion, are out of place.
How to recover deleted TV channels: tuning
Having made all the necessary clarifications about the case, it’s time to understand how to recover any TV channel deleted by mistake (or suddenly disappeared) by tuning the TV or the decoder. First of all, however, make sure that the antenna cable is securely attached to the appropriate input on the TV or decoder, in order to avoid reception problems related to incorrect physical installation of the devices.
Having said that, if the issue concerns just a few channels (even better if they are transmitted by the same broadcaster), I advise you to manually tune the frequencies, in order to leave the list of channels already in operation intact and to add those which instead you can no longer find.
To identify the coordinates of the frequencies to be added relative to your place of origin, you can use the Dtti website: after accessing its homepage, first select the name of your region, identify your province and then press the exact name of your city : therefore, use the table below to identify the station you are interested in and note the relative frequencies.
If you still can’t find the information you’re interested in, you can also do a Google search using a key phrase like [broadcast name] frequencies [region/city] . In any case, make a note of the clear information of the station you are interested in (channel, frequency, band and mux), as this will come in handy soon.
Once the necessary information has been collected, to manually tune the television or decoder, you must first access its main menu after pressing the Home or Menu button on the remote control and then go to settings , tuning or channels and, from from there, access the section dedicated to manual tuning.
If you are asked to specify the unlock PIN from the settings, enter it (if you never changed it, try the sequences 0000 , 1111 , 1234 or 8888 ) and later use the proposed screen to specify channel , band , frequency and previously noted. When ready, press the button to start the search and wait for the new channels to be added to the existing list.
If there are many channels that have been eliminated or are no longer visible, it would be advisable to opt for the automatic tuning of the TV or the decoder, which can be started in a very similar way to the one we saw a moment ago: after opening the settings menu of the audiovisual device, go to the sections dedicated to channels and/or automatic tuning, choose whether you want to tune via digital antenna (or DVB-T) and, after entering the modification unlock PIN (if necessary ), press the key to start channel tuning . If messages appear related to one or more LCN conflicts, resolve them by pressing the OK key on the remote control several times.
Unfortunately, I cannot provide very accurate information about all televisions on the market, as my website pages would not be enough to cover all the various cases! However, for more precise indications of what to do, my guide on tuning the decoder may be helpful; If you have an LG, Samsung or Panasonic TV, you can find the exact procedure to follow in the following sections of this chapter.
How to recover deleted TV channels – LG
For example, if you use an LG television, proceed as follows: to start, press the Home button on the remote control (the one marked with the symbol of a house ) and, when you see the main WebOS menu open, select the Settings button and press the OK button on the remote.
Now, go to the Channels > Tuning and Channel Settings sections, enter the PIN to unlock the changes (if you have set it) and make sure the Program Mode dropdown is set to Antenna; now activate the channel list update lever and to start Manual Tuning press the appropriate item and press the OK button on the remote control.
At this point, specify the channel, frequency and band referring to the “disappeared” stations, press the Update button and wait for the process of adding the new channels to finish; to carry out automatic tuning, on the other hand, you must press the button Automatic tuning in the Tuning and channel configuration menu , choose whether you want to search for channels in the antenna and in automatic mode and then continue twice consecutively, to start the procedure. For more information, I invite you to take a look at my tutorial on how to tune channels on lg tv.
How to recover deleted TV channels – Samsung
And if your TV is Samsung, press the Home/Smart Hub button on the remote, find the Settings button in the bar that appears overlay (you may need to press the left arrow multiple times) and press the OK/Enter button to access to the dedicated menu.
Now, select the Transmission item, press OK and, to start a new manual tuning, go to the Advanced Settings > Manual Tuning > Digital Channel Tuning sections; Now choose the channel or frequency you want to search and press the New button to find available programs and add them to the list.
If you want to perform automatic tuning, you must go to the menu Settings> Broadcasting> Automatic tuning , press the Start button and set the search parameters using the next menu: specify the Antenna item in the drop-down menu of the same name , it indicates that you intend to search for channels of the digital type and activates the automatic ordering of channels , intervening in the dedicated option.
Finally, press the Search button and patiently wait for the operation to complete; if necessary, resolve any numbering conflicts that may arise by selecting the correct channel to add to the list and pressing the OK/Enter button. If you have problems, check out my specific tutorial on how to tune channels on Samsung TV.
How to recover deleted TV channels – Panasonic
As for Panasonic brand TVs, you can access the main menu of the device by first pressing the MENU button on the remote control and selecting the dedicated item, which appears superimposed. Once done, press the OK button on the remote and go to the Settings > Tuning menu sections.
Now enter the security PIN to unlock the changes (unless you have changed it, the default code is 0000 or 1111), select the DVB-T Tuning Menu item and choose the Manual Tuning option. At this point, indicate the channel and frequency on which you want to search for programs, adjust the signal quality level using the appropriate bar and press the OK button on the remote control to start searching for new channels (which will be added to the existing list).
If you want to reset the current channel list and create a new one, choose the Auto Tuning item in the DVB-T Tuning menu and press the OK button twice consecutively to start the process.
How to recover deleted TV channels: sorting
If then, scrolling through the list of channels, you find those that apparently disappeared in numbers that you did not expect (for example, Rai 2 on channel 10, NINE on channel 25, Canale 5 on channel 1 and so on), then the problem can be attributed to incorrect channel list numbering. The simplest way to solve this problem is to retune the channels, taking care to activate the so-called LCN sorting system or automatic sorting.
This means, in practice, that the detected transmitters are positioned on a precise channel number, established by the regulations in force at national level; It is possible to activate the LCN system directly from the automatic program tuning options, which I talked about in the previous chapter of this guide.
On other televisions, it is also possible to create personalized channel lists or intervene in the numbers assigned to the presets, in order to place the channels in alphabetical order, or according to an order established by the user himself. If you intend to follow such a solution, you can take a look at my guide on how to rearrange TV channels and my tutorials specifically dedicated to Philips and Samsung branded televisions
In case of further problems
If, after strictly following all the instructions I have given you in this guide, you are unable to capture the channels you are interested in again (or if the signal is disturbed), the problem could be due to a malfunction, also temporary, of the broadcast from the TV station or antenna.
The first eventuality occurs very frequently when significant meteorological phenomena occur in the places where the transmission systems of the different stations are located; in these cases, just wait for the weather event to resolve and try to retune the channels manually or automatically.
If the problem is limited to your apartment or the entire building in which you live, especially if after an extreme weather phenomenon, the cause of the malfunction may have to be found in the TV antenna: if you have any experience in this regard, you can try correcting the antenna orientation by following the steps provided in this guide.
If the situation is not resolved, or if you do not have specific knowledge in the matter, I suggest that you contact a technician specialized in installing antennas and televisions, who will certainly be able to find a solution to your problem. Don’t expose yourself to unnecessary risks, please.