TV Says “No Channels Have Been Added”? You May Be on the Wrong Input

by Michael Hickey

TV Says “No Channels Have Been Added”? You May Be on the Wrong Input

If your TV suddenly displays a message such as “No channels have been added”, “No channels installed” or asks you to install or retune channels, don’t panic.

In many cases, there is nothing wrong with your satellite or Saorview box. The TV has simply been switched to its own TV tuner instead of the HDMI input where your receiver is connected.

Don’t Retune the TV

If you normally watch your channels through a separate Freesat, Saorview or satellite receiver, the channels are stored on that box — not on the television itself.

Running an automatic scan or retune on the TV will therefore not solve the problem.

Instead, you simply need to switch the TV back to the correct HDMI input.

How to Select the Correct HDMI Input

Using your TV remote control:

  1. Press the button marked SOURCE or INPUT. On some remotes, this may be shown as a small rectangle with an arrow symbol.
  2. A list of inputs should appear on the screen. You may see options such as:
    TV / Live TV / HDMI 1 / HDMI 2 / HDMI 3
  3. Select HDMI 1 and press OK.
  4. If you don’t see your satellite receiver or its channels, press SOURCE / INPUT again and try HDMI 2.
  5. If necessary, continue through the HDMI inputs until you see the picture from your receiver.

Once the correct HDMI input is selected, you can go back to using your Freesat, Saorview or satellite box remote control to change channels as normal.

Remember: HDMI, Not TV Tuner

The important thing is to select:

HDMI 1, HDMI 2 or HDMI 3

and not:

TV / Live TV / TV Tuner

If the television is set to its internal TV tuner and there is no aerial connected directly to the TV, messages such as “No channels have been added” are perfectly normal.

Still No Picture?

If you’ve tried every HDMI input and still can’t see your receiver, check that:

  • The satellite or Saorview box is switched on.
  • The HDMI cable is firmly connected at both ends.
  • The box has a power light/display showing.
  • You’ve selected the HDMI number that corresponds to the socket being used on the back of the TV.

In most cases, accidentally selecting TV instead of HDMI is the entire problem, and switching back to the correct HDMI input will restore your channels immediately.

Back to News