How to retune your TV

You should retune from time to time in order to keep your Freeview box up to date. Sometimes channels move around – so if you should lose access to several channels, try retuning to restore them.

To do a full retune your Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision equipment, follow these steps (these instructions are a guide only – each product works slightly differently).

1. Make sure your Freeview TV or box is on and in digital mode. Press ‘menu’ on your remote control.

2. Select the ‘set up’ or ‘installation’ option. If you see picture icons, select the tool box, satellite dish or spanner.

3. If you are prompted for a code, try 0000 or 1234.

4. Select the full retune option. This is sometimes called ‘first time installation’, ‘factory reset’, ‘default settings’ or ‘shipping conditions’. Do not select ‘channel update’ or ‘add channels’.

5. Press ‘OK’ if your equipment asks if you want to delete all your channels, don’t worry this is normal.

6. Channels will automatically be installed. This may take a few minutes and your equipment may shut down and restart After a retune, if you are not receiving your preferred regional service, you are likely to find your preferred services further down the channel list. If you want to make your preferred services easier to find, you can either use the ‘favourites’ list or ‘channel settings’. See your instruction manual for more details.

If you find you are missing some channels or your equipment has stopped working, visit digitaluk.co.uk/retuning for more information. If you can’t do this yourself, you might want to consult friends or family who could do it for you, or otherwise call out an installer (see ‘Common questions’).

To watch a short video showing you how to retune, and for specific retuning instructions for the most popular Freeview products, visit digitaluk.co.uk/retuning

Getting digital TV

IF you only receive five or fewer analogue channels through an aerial on any of your sets, you’ll need to think about converting them for switchover – otherwise you risk being faced with a blank screen once analogue signals are switched off.

There are three main ways to go digital:

* Convert your existing analogue TV using a digital box (e.g. Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision).

* Have a digital TV service, such as satellite or cable TV, installed for you. Providers include Sky, freesat and Virgin Media.

* Buy a new TV with digital (Freeview or freesat) built in.

Remember, almost everyone will be able to watch Freeview after switchover – even homes currently out of coverage. You can check the options for going digital in your area, and what channels will be available through your aerial, using the postcode checker at digitaluk.co.uk. Extra channels are available through other digital TV services, such as satellite or cable.

Virtually any TV set, including black and white ones and those without Scart sockets, can be converted using a digital box.