An issue with Mum's telly - can anyone help?

[Newportnobby]

Last year my Mum bought a Samsung 'smart' telly to fit inside her TV cabinet as she doesn't like big tellies.
However, the last couple of months for whatever reason each Friday night the signal switches to HD only and then reverts back to 'normal' on Monday morning.
Anyone know what that's all about and what, if anything can be done because, of course, Currys/PC World are as much help as an ashtray on a motorbike

[dannyboy]

@Newportnobby  Where does the TV signal come from Mick? I presume the TV is otherwise working correctly. If that is the case, then it certainly appears to be the service provider that is doing something with the signal. I get my signal from Freesat, so obviously I can only receive what they put out, in whatever format is transmitted. Our TV is also a Samsung smart one, but I do not think it is that smart to realise that Louisa is at home during the day at the weekends, so may prefer to watch in HD.  . Sorry I can not be of more help.

[Newportnobby]

Where does the TV signal come from Mick? I presume the TV is otherwise working correctly.

Sorry David, but I haven't a scooby where the signal comes from but, yes, the TV functions perfectly well Mon-Fri

[dannyboy]

Do you know whether the TV receives its signal via an aerial or from one of the satellite providers - like Freesat? Incidentally, whilst in no way meaning to cast aspersions on your Mum, my late Mum used to ring my sister about once a fortnight stating that the TV had "gone wrong again". When my sister and her husband went over to Mums, my brother-in-law fixed the TV within minutes - Mum had pressed some buttons that she should not have, so upset the settings. Though itseems strange that it only happens on a Friday eveing and then returns to normal on a Monday. 

[port perran]

Hi Mick
We have a Samsung but it's accessed via Sky (that's neither here nor there).
Occasionally we get a problem whereby the tv seems to get confused where its signal is coming from. It may well  be to do with accidentally pushing a button on the handset when we pick it up - clumsy fingers and all that.
Anyway, it's easily solved by going to the source button on the handset and retuning to the correct signal source.
Not sure if that helps but it sorts us out.
Martin

[Newportnobby]

Do you know whether the TV receives its signal via an aerial or from one of the satellite providers

It's via an aerial, David.

@port perran
I was thinking along those lines, Martin, but it's the changeover just for the weekend that has us all baffled. I just hate it when a smart TV is smarter than we are

[dannyboy]

Well Martins thoughts are a bit similar to what my Mum was doing - pressing a wrong button. So the next question is, what is your Mum doing on a Friday that she is not doing any other day? 

[zwilnik]

It being a 'smart' TV it's probably doing something stupid connected to the net. Is it connected to the internet through Wifi or Ethernet? If so, try making it a 'dumb' TV by disabling its connection. It'll whinge a bit, but should stop it doing a lot of stupid stuff based on whatever Samsung's servers tell it to do.

[guest311]

slightly off topic, but about a year ago our tv, bought some years ago, suddenly decided to become 'eco-friendly' and keeps asking if we want to shut it down 'yes / no'.

usually at an exciting part of a film, or else during the commercials, which if you've gone to put the kettle on, lets you come back to a dead tv.

may be 'eco-friendly' but certainly not 'user-friendly'

[ntpntpntp]

Seems very odd.  If we're talking about Freeview then HD or standard definition are simply different channel numbers (eg. BBC is 1, BBC HD is 101).   

I can't think why the TV would switch to only showing HD. I don't recall our Samsung have such a function.

I know some smart tv and satellite box "program guide" pages have an option to show only the HD channels (just like you also get option to show just movie or just Drama channels etc.). Pretty sure my Freesat box has that filter.

So does it physically change BBC to 101 and not allow her to select channel 1 (for example) ?

[stevewalker]

I wonder if there is some upgrade / maintenance work going on at weekends, causing some channels to be off-air at the local transmitter or repeater?

[Newportnobby]

what is your Mum doing on a Friday that she is not doing any other day? 

Are you looking to date my Mum?

Is it connected to the internet through Wifi or Ethernet?

Wifi router

So does it physically change BBC to 101 and not allow her to select channel 1 (for example) ?

That's exactly what it does. She has to then watch the TV through her non HD Freeview set top box (which actually is under not on top )

[zwilnik]

Yeah, definitely disconnect it from the net. It's entirely likely it's something stupid server side or some sort of calendar service that's misconfigured. If she's not using it as a web browser or streaming content to it, there's no real need for it to be connected.

[N_GaugeModeller]

Don't know if its connected or not but every night at 18:30 the BBC stop transmitting in HD on BBC1, this is for the local news then at 19:00 they switch their BBC1 HD channel back on.

I wonder if its something to do with the local area the TV thinks its being used in, a full return selecting the correct area might fix the issue.

[ntpntpntp]

Don't know if its connected or not but every night at 18:30 the BBC stop transmitting in HD on BBC1, this is for the local news then at 19:00 they switch their BBC1 HD channel back on.

I wonder if its something to do with the local area the TV thinks its being used in, a full return selecting the correct area might fix the issue.

HD doesn't get turned off or stop transmitting here in the south-east, it just switches to a red screen with music and a message about local programming not available.

It is a mystery.  I can't imagine why a device would change the channel to HD automagically - mind you, it is better quality! I'll only watch standard definition if there's a particular program I like that's not available in HD.