TV programmes: "please press the red button" - on what is the red button?!

[jaz2]

Quite often on on TV they say you can choose between alternative viewings by "pressing the red button". The red button on what?

We have an 8 year old video and TV, and have decided to get a DVD player with freeview. But will this allow me to "press the red button" or is the "red button" on the TV remote in which case do I need to upgrade my TV as well?

Asking on MN as am too to ask my friends such a stupid question.

[FluffyMummy123]

Message withdrawn

[ButterflyMcQueen]

only have 4 channels here and no red buttons so sorry!

[DisenchantedPlusBump]

On your sky remote!

[prettybird]

The DVD player with freeview will have a "red button" - and a blue one and a yellow one and green one

But the red one is the important one, to get to the "interactive menu".

[oi]

sky or if you have a digital tv you'll probably have a red button on the normal tv remote

[jaz2]

OK, so if I don't have a digital TV, then the red button (assuming there is one: DH couldn't remember if there was one, and I was "minding" DS away from anything with a button!) on the freeview/DVD player will work? Or does the TV have to be digital?

We're not getting Sky, but as it's the BBC that refer to the red button I don't think I need Sky?

[oi]

it should work through your freeview I think. We have a non digital tv plugged into sky and it seems to work. Have you checked you can get freeview in your area?

[jaz2]

Thanks Oi - we're in SW London, so should be able to get Freeview (tho we have a £10 TV-top aerial so may need to get one put up on the roof).

Sounds like we should be able to stick with our non-digital TV then, and still get the benefits of the red button!

[oi]

we have a tv top aerial. When we bought a digital tv with freeview in it, I just went and got one of those digital tv top aerials. If you are near Kingston, you can get one in the Maplin (near the BHS) - I THINK there may be a Maplin in Hammersmith too.

We are in SW london and could pick it up fine with the digital tv top aerial (cost around £20) though I reckon you'd be better off with a proper aerial (though I guess it will cost a lot more!).

If you are in dense housing (we're in a row of terraces), you may find that the digital tv top aerial works far better at the front than the back of the house iyswim so take that into account when you are thinking about what type of aerial to get.

[prettybird]

The freeview box (or dvd player with freeview) turns an ordinary TV into a digital one. You use the remote to get to the digital stations (including the interactive ones via the red button).

You may need to upgrade your set top raial. You can get good digital ones - the TV is our bedroom is connected to a set top one (actually, the arial bit - a small flat square abut the size of a magazine - is hung in the window for best reception): it cost c£25 iirc. They vary in quality - we got one of the Which? best buys.

[jaz2]

Thanks for all the info Oi. DH works near Tottenham Ct Rd, so I'll ask him to get a digital aerial (didn't know they existed!). If we have to get a proper aerial then at least we've tried cheaper options.

Anything is better than our current set-up - where whenever we video programmes, half the time they play back with a revolving screen and a loud "farty noise". And after a weekend of DS being ill and watching our 2 Thomas videos "on loop", we need CBEEBIES as a back-up (for my sanity)!

[jaz2]

Prettybird : thanks for the further confirmations. What make of digital aerial do you have?

[prettybird]

I'll need to check. Interestingly we get ore stations via the set top arial than we do via the roof top arial ('cos the roof top arial is not a digital one and certain stations use "in fill" frequenquncies: so we can only get Film 4 and a couple of other stations - not the main ones - on the bedroom TV).

Try your set top arial first and see how you get on.

[oi]

ours is the one from Maplin that looks like a big curvy rectangle

[oi]

but I would agree with prettybird and look at the Which report because some of the cheaper ones did better than the more expensive ones

we got a higher power aerial because I bought a digital radio and could not pick up a station in the house unless I held it out of the front room window {hmm} and this was a good brand dig radio but then found out that because next door had lots of steel put in, it meant our ability to get the signal was v poor (or something like that!).

[jaz2]

Thanks, will try to enter the 21st century over the next week or so!