Freeview Box. What does it mean if a channel is scrambled?

[MrsSpoon]

After much debating we have taken the plunge and bought a Freeview Box (cheap one from ASDA, can remember the make). I was looking for CBeebies this morning for DS2, I was flicking through and noticed on a channel (73?) that Scooby Doo was on (DS2 really likes Scooby Doo), I left it to load (?) and it came up with a message that the channel is scrambled.

Does that mean I can't receive this channel, not getting a strong enough signal maybe or is this a channel that is coming to Freeview but not here yet?

I don't really understand why the channel is coming up on the box if we can't view it. I have looked at the instruction book but it doesn't mention scrambled channels.

Any info appreciated, thanks.

It is probably one of the Top Up TV chanels. We have freeview and I know we don't get a channel 73.

Soory - mean to add that you need to pay for top up tv - I think its only about £7 per month.

... you also need a freeview box with a slot which can take the top up card.

Ah, I see, don't think ours takes a top-up card as it wasn't mentioned in the instructions.

Mystery solved. Thanks!

Cbeebies is one of the free channels - not a top up channel. We've had problems with our signal to cbeebies lately and it keeps going all pixelated. We had to move the tv around a bit when we first got it but our tv ariel on the roof is very old so not good for digital tv, we had to buy a booster ariel.

(ours doesn't have a card slot either - to top up you just ring up and pay)

cbeebies is a free channel and is now on channel 71.... as it used to be channel 31 but it had moved to channel 71. Scrambled means that that programme is not available on freeview or unless you buy a top up card

Zeph - best to get a Digital ariel put it as its better as we've got one.

We are getting CBeebies fine (phew ). We used to have digital back in the days of ITV Digital in our last house and had problems with picture like you describe Zephyrcat but the picture here seems fine. At the moment we have no plans of paying £7 a month for extra channels.

is booster ariel any good?? as the problem we've got is that we live opposite to the docks and our frequency is not 100% good as the interference from the docks and the subtitles only half come on.

soz to hjjack!!

We got an ariel upgrade in our last house, it was better but not great but this was due to living in a flat, the building was listed and we weren't allowed to put TV ariels on the roof, it had to be in the loft, we had a signal booster which helped.

Our booster ariel is pretty good but it's a digital one made for cable and cost 25.00 !1 Our house is rented and they are coming soon to completely replace the house ariel thank god!!

We don't get a scarmbled message with ours, we just get a page up telling us how to pay! Although we don't get scooby doo either on 73 (boomerang) it's just black....