For a few days now you can no longer see some digital terrestrial channels? Have you bought a new television and, since you are not particularly accustomed to the world of technology, you don’t know how to tune it for the first time? No problem, I’m here to help you.
In fact, with today’s guide, we will see together how to retune the TV in order to redisplay all the channels that suddenly seem to have disappeared or to initially configure a TV that has just been removed from the sales package. The menus, of course, vary from model to model, but I’ll try to give you instructions that are valid for all televisions focusing on some of the most popular brands, so you won’t have any problems in achieving your goal.
If, despite my instructions, you should continue to encounter problems with channel tuning (possible hypothesis, for example, if there are problems with the antenna system), at the end of the guide you will find a chapter dedicated to these scenarios. Happy reading and good luck with everything!
Intro information
Before explaining how to re-tune the television , it seems necessary to me to make some clarifications regarding the different ways in which this operation can be carried out.
For starters, there’s initial tuning : what happens when you turn on your TV for the first time after you buy it. Generally the procedure is started after specifying the language and the type of reception used for the television signal (digital terrestrial or satellite antenna, for example).
For subsequent retunings, you can act in two different ways: automatically , by overwriting the existing list with a new channel list, or manually , by intervening individually on the channels to be added (if you are no longer able to receive only a few broadcasters).
To carry out manual tuning, however, it is necessary to know the frequencies of the broadcasters to be added, by connecting to the official websites of the latter and consulting the section dedicated to coverage : some examples are the websites Rai Way , Mediaset and that of the Dtti platform , which includes frequencies of all the most important digital terrestrial broadcasters.
In any case, before carrying out any operation, make sure that the antenna cable , the CAM module or the LNB cable (for the satellite signal) are firmly connected to the TV, in order to avoid involuntary reception problems and, of course, check if the Your television is compatible with the latest generation digital terrestrial (DVB-T2) , which from January 2023, unless extended, should replace the current transmission mode (DVB-T). Read more here .
How to re-tune your TV: general procedure
If you are interested in understanding how to retune all the channels on your TV , firstly turn on the device by pressing the appropriate power button (usually it is the red one located at the top). Then press the MENU button on the remote control or the one to reach the settings (it should be the one marked with the gear symbol).
Now, choose the channel management option and then the one to perform automatic tuning/scanning or the manual one , depending on your needs. If requested, enter the PIN to be able to complete the operation: it is usually 1111 or 0000 or, again, 1234 . If none of these work, check your TV’s user manual to find out the exact code to use, or Google phrases like Default PIN [TV make and model] .
Now, set the channel tuning mode to DTV or SAT , enter the frequency of the channels to add (if you have opted for manual tuning/scanning), position yourself on the button to start scanning and press the OK button on the remote control to perform the channel search.
If then, at the end of the procedure, you see a warning appear on the screen relating to the fact that a numbering conflict has emerged for one or more channels, let the TV solve the problem by automatically selecting the best option or, if necessary, indicate the choice you intend to make by selecting the relevant option on the screen.
As you have certainly noticed, the indications I have given you so far, although valid for most television sets, are rather generic: this is because each manufacturer (or even each TV) adopts different options, menus and adjustment areas from the others . As a concrete example, let me show you how to proceed, with precision, on the appliances produced by some big names in the sector.
How to retune your sony tv
To retune a Sony Bravia Smart TV, first open the main menu of the device by pressing the Home button on the remote control; now, using the arrow keys, highlight the gear icon (named Settings ) visible at the bottom of the screen, press the OK key on the remote control and do the same to reach the Channel settings/Channel settings > Tuning/ Digital setting .
Once this is done, indicate that you want to proceed with automatic digital tuning/presetting , answer affirmatively to the notice asking you to start automatic tuning and indicate that you want to receive the channels via antenna . Finally, press the Start button , wait for the channel search to finish and, if necessary, resolve any LCN conflicts by manually selecting which of the available channels to add to the list.
If, on the other hand, you want to add a single channel (or a group of channels) belonging to a given frequency, go instead to the Channel setting menu > Digital tuning > Manual digital preset , specify the type of scan to be performed (whether by Channel number or by Frequency ) and, once you have adjusted the remaining settings according to your needs, start the search by pressing the Scan option at the top ; if it fails, repeat the same operation selecting, this time, the option Scan down .
As regards, however, the tuning of the satellite channels, you must go to the Settings menu > Channel setting > Digital setting > Satellite setting > Digital satellite tuning , adjust the search parameters based on the satellite system you are using (e.g. fixed aerial and preferred satellite channels ) and, after selecting your satellite service provider — if necessary —, press the Start button , in order to initialize the channel search.
If you have a slightly more “older” Sony TV, press the Menu button on the remote control instead, select the Settings item and give OK by pressing the central button on the joystick (identified by the (+) symbol ).
Now, go to the menus Configuration/System settings > Channel settings > Digital settings , choose the item Search channels/Search digital channels , press the (+) button on the remote control and select the OK/Yes button that appears on the screen, in order to start the search configuration phase.
Finally, if you intend to search for channels available on digital terrestrial, select the Antenna item, press the (+) button on the remote control again and start retuning the channels by pressing the Start button .
If you have any doubts about the problems, I invite you to read my tutorial on how to retune your Sony TV , in which I explained everything to you with even greater precision.
How to tune your Samsung TV
The first step to take to retune the channels on Samsung televisions is to enter the main menu of the device, by pressing the Menu key or the Home key on the remote control, and then access the area dedicated to Settings using the appropriate item or button.
Now, press the OK / Enter button on the remote control and, in the same way, select the items Transmission and Automatic tuning (the latter twice consecutively). To open the TV channel frequency adjustment screen, then press the Start button and, if necessary, enter the settings protection PIN : if you have never set or changed it, try using the default codes 0000 , 1111 or 1234 .
Having reached the dedicated section, use the drop-down menu called Antenna to specify the type of transmission you are using ( digital , satellite or Tivùsat ) and adjust the Channel type menu based on the choice made previously: for example, if it is your intention proceed with the search for channels on the DTT, choose the Digital option .
Now, if you want the channels found to follow the LCN order, set the Channel sorting menu to Automatic sorting (alternatively, you can apply the sorting you prefer among those available) and start the channel search by pressing the Search button , visible on the screen.
After tuning, you may need to resolve any numbering conflicts by indicating which of the “overlapping” channels you would like to add to the list; finally, press the Close button and exit the TV configuration menu by pressing the Exit/Return/Back button on the remote control several times.
If you intend to proceed with the manual channel search, however, you must choose the Manual tuning option from the Transmission menu , then specify the frequency of the stations to be identified and start the search by pressing the appropriate button.
Depending on the model of TV you have, the available menu items may be slightly different from the ones I have indicated so far; for further clarification, you can take a look at my specific guide on how to tune channels on Samsung TV .
How to retune your LG TV
Do you own an LG TV ? No problem: here too, there are menu functions for both automatic and manual tuning. To start, press the quick settings button on the remote control (the one showing the gear symbol ), select the item (⋮) All settings from the menu that appears superimposed on the screen and press the OK button on the remote control, to access the appropriate panel.
At this point, locate the Channels icon in the left sidebar of the screen that opens, select it with the remote control and press the OK key ; proceeding in the same way, open the Tuning and channel settings menu , to enter the area dedicated to tuning frequencies and specify the PIN for unlocking the settings , if requested.
Now, adjust the menus displayed on the screen, according to your needs: select the reception mode on which to intervene ( antenna or satellite ) from the Program mode menu , move the lever relating to automatic channel list updating to ON and start automatic tuning , selecting the appropriate item and pressing the OK key .
If, on the other hand, you are only interested in tuning specific stations, go to the Tuning and channel settings section > Manual tuning and specify the channel , frequency and band of the programs to add, using the items you see on the screen. When you’re done, press the Update button and wait for the new channels, if available, to be identified and added to the list of existing ones.
To find out more about tuning channels on LG televisions , or if you are specifically interested in enabling the reception of satellite channels , I refer you to reading the thematic guides available on my site.
How to re-tune your panasonic tv
If you have a Panasonic TV , first press the MENU button on the remote control, then select the Main menu item from the panel that appears on the screen and press the OK button on the remote control to access the dedicated area.
Similarly, go to the Settings > Tuning menu sections and, if required, enter the security PIN to unlock access to the dedicated area (usually 0000 or 1111 ). Once this is done, select the DVB-T Tuning menu item , in order to display the tuning options for the digital signal, choose the Automatic tuning option and press the OK button twice consecutively, in order to start the automatic tuning phase .
If, on the other hand, you want to manually specify the frequency of the stations to add, choose the Manual tuning option from the DVB-T tuning menu , select the channel and the frequency to be analyzed and set the quality level of the signal to be searched for, using the appropriate bar. When you’re done, press the OK button on the remote control to start the search and add, once the procedure is complete, the new programs found to the list already present.
In case of problems
Have you slavishly followed my instructions on how to re-tune your TV but have not yet succeeded in your attempt? I’m very sorry but… don’t throw in the towel! Rather let’s try to face the situation together once again.
If your problem is that you still haven’t been able to find the option to tune the channels on your TV, you can try to get more details on what to do by consulting the device’s user manual, generally attached to the sales package of the same.
Alternatively, you can connect to the support and assistance section of the reference company’s website and download the user manual in digital format from there or search Google for phrases such as tune channels [TV manufacturer and model ] . If that he
If, on the other hand, the difficulty you are experiencing concerns the absence of signal following the new channel tuning, wait a few hours and try to carry out the steps again: in some cases, the lack of reception of the broadcasters could be due to a problem momentary, often caused by sudden storms, adverse weather conditions or widespread blackouts.
If the matter is not resolved in a short time, the cause could be attributable to a malfunction of your antenna or, at least, of your reception system: in this case, the best suggestion I can give you is to contact a specialized technician (a antenna installer, in fact) for all the necessary checks.
If you wish, you can also try to adjust the orientation of the television antenna yourself, provided that you have a lot of free time available, a large dose of concentration and patience and, last but not least, the possibility of operate in complete safety: to understand how to proceed, consult my guide on how to orient the TV antenna , without forgetting that it is a procedure that is not exactly easy to perform for those who have no experience in this regard.
Finally, if the digital terrestrial signal does not arrive in your area, you can tune in the television stations using a free satellite service such as Tivùsat, or by connecting the television to the Internet and using the HbbTV services, or the official apps/sites of the various broadcasters : for To find out more, I refer you to an in-depth reading of my tutorials on how to activate Tivùsat and how to watch TV without an antenna , in which I have examined cases like yours.