Hiw to work a TV?

[Sandalison]

I just moved flat and there’s an old Panasonic TV here. Definitely not a smart TV. It has a power cable but nothing else. I feel really stupid asking but what do I need in order to get it to work? I don’t need it to stream or anything, literally just want to be able to get BBC and ITV on it. Although if connecting it to my laptop to get netflix is simpler, then I’ll do that. I just want it working in some capacity or other. Pls can anyone help this technophobic dinosaur? 🦕

Have a look at the back - has it got an HDMI port? If so, hook up your laptop for iPlayer, itv player, Netflix, etc.

Get a free view box

Thanks! Yes it has an hdmi port. I guess I can get one of those cables from Amazon? There’s only one type of hdmi cable, right?
And will a freeview box mean I don’t beed an aerial? Or would I need to get one of those too?

Thanks!

This is the back. There’s a slot of audio. Dors this mean I need to buy speakers too?

I'd suggest something like a NOW TV boxor stick. You can access the freeview channels from there, no aerial required, just an internet connection. You'll be able to access Netflix too.

and HDMI will give you sound too.

It may not be a smart TV, but it will most likely be new enough to pick up a freeview signal. All you need to do is plug an aerial into it. There may be an aerial point on the wall connecting to an aerial on your roof. And if not you can buy a cheap indoor aerial which should work fine.

Either get a cheap hdmi from Amazon or big supermarket. Make sure it's long enough and that your laptop has an HDMI port. You won't need speakers - those outputs are for feeding into a home cinema setup.

Longer term, you could get an Amazon FireStick or NowTV stick - they just plug into the HDMI and are powered via a USB power supply. They connect to your WiFi

You can get HDMI cables with and without audio - I didn't realise this, and the first cable I bought cut the sound (laptop connected to large monitor).
Even if there are audio outputs, there are probably internal speakers - you can connect additional speakers for enhanced noisy volume.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08B69RGQ4/?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
is the one I got a couple of months ago.
apparently the longer the cable, the more distortion, so don't get one tons longer than you need.

We use an Amazon fire stick with our old non-smart TV, really pleased with it so far! Can watch live TV on certain channels with it too (BBC, ITV, C4)

Thanks for the help! How much is a freeview box meant to be? I can see some on Amazon for about £28 and others for £150!

I don't think you need a freeview box. From 2008 all TVs had freeview, and most had it before that. Do you think the TV is more than 15 years old?

Hi @Anticyclone I have no idea how old it is, but when I plug it in I don’t get any picture, just the black and white ‘noise’.

@Sandalison

Hi *@Anticyclone* I have no idea how old it is, but when I plug it in I don’t get any picture, just the black and white ‘noise’.

Have you plugged in an indoor aerial or a cable attaching it to an aerial point on the wall?

@Sandalison

This is the back. There’s a slot of audio. Dors this mean I need to buy speakers too?

It'll have inbuilt speakers. Those connections are if you want to connect to some form of external speakers.

@Sandalison

Hi *@Anticyclone* I have no idea how old it is, but when I plug it in I don’t get any picture, just the black and white ‘noise’.

You need a coaxial cable (see pic) to connect it to the aerial point in the wall, if there is one. Then you will be able to access the built in free view channels. If there isn’t an aerial point, then you’ll either need a web-based solution or an indoor aerial.

Either there is no signal so you need a set top aerial, or you need to tune it. Google the make and model to find online instructions on how to tune it, or play with the remote control to find the setup /menu / options
And try to autotune it. If it doesn’t find any channels, it’s either no signal or it’s not digital . some older TVs have both analogue and digital, you can switch via the remote control.
Or just wait till you get your hdmi lead (assuming you have broadband)

Thank you so much for all your help!
I will get an aerial first and see if that works!

If you can see the model number on the back you can Google to check if it has freeview. Although if you end up needing a freeview box, you'll still need an aerial so probably good to just try that first.

I am guessing yours could be pre-2011 op.
Here is a picture of the back of my 2011 Panasonic - mine has USB ports, looks like yours probably hasn’t?
Also, just for info, to save you time researching - Panasonic haven’t done any software upgrades, so I struggle with iplayer which was installed, but it’s not possible to get ITV player/ All4 etc.

I found the model, it’s panasonic TX-32LMD70A and it looks like it probably does have freeview!

Thanks for that info @SynchroSwimmer

www.manualslib.com/products/Panasonic-Viera-Tx-32lmd70-3191690.html

There's a link to the manual if that's any help.