Very Annoying Freeview (and iView etc) Banner across TV Screen After Channel Change

[mike48]

If you buy a late model internet enabled TV with Freeview "enhancements", you will quickly be very, very annoyed by the "Freeview and iView (etc)" banner.
This thing glides in from the screen middle top left hand side across the TV screen after every TV channel change, and at a screen position where you are probably intently watching.
It is very visually annoying.

If you are just channel surfing sometimes, this banner will drive you mad.

The fix (workaround) for me was not easy to find in the various menus, as the Freeview "enhancements" have no Settings per se.
On my new Panasonic TV, there is a setting "Data Service" which is the internet ON/OFF, and I now leave this OFF until it is required.
I think this stops the channel change being sent out via internet, and no banner is displayed.
Your TV will probably have a similar setting.

I don't know why "they" didn't place the banner at the screen bottom or have a thin banner along a screen side.

Freeview ... hmmmm!

[Bob Willson]

Hi Mike48

I found this on the net.



Hit the main Menu button on the remote (not the "Internet" or "VieraCast" button) or the TV itself.
Navigate down to Setup, hit OK.
Navigate down down (or up) to the second screen until you land on Advanced Setup. Hit OK.
Hop down to Viera Connect Banner and turn it Off using the left or right directional arrows.
Hit Menu to exit.


and also I found:

firstlight777 (http://www.cnet.com/profile/firstlight777) Oct 9, 2013For a Panasonic TC-60ZT60, to remove the banner pop ups you need to :
Menu-setup-display customization-smart viera banner-off


bluking7 (http://www.cnet.com/profile/bluking7) May 10, 2013the new ST60 range doesnt seem to have this option - unless anyone's managed to figure out something?




SCOTTLOVESYOU (http://www.cnet.com/profile/SCOTTLOVESYOU) May 24, 2013@bluking7 (http://www.cnet.com/profile/bluking7) TRY: setup > display customization > Vierra Connect banner > off.






Steve76063 (http://www.cnet.com/profile/Steve76063) Mar 21, 2013THANK YOU!!! About 2 weeks ago, the 'sponsored ads' started showing up on my Panasonic. I searched the Panasonic site for a fix to no avail. I finally googled the issue which led me this sjte, and you fixed the annoying issue.
BOO on Panasonic for doing this to us, but at least they left us a way to opt-out of the ads (although it wasn't very obvious),

[mike48]

Hi Bob

thank you for a comprehensive reply.

Unfortunately, none of those suggestions works on my TV, which is why I posted my info.
Your suggestions may work for slightly older "Freeview" enabled TVs.

My TV is a newly purchased, 2014 manufacture, Panasonic TH-42AS700A (LCD 42 3D 100Hz) with WiFi internet connection, and the dreaded and useless "Freeview Plus".
The only way I found to remove the slide in banner was as per my first post, but this also removes the whole internet access to the TV.

This is what it looks like, and occurs 5 seconds after every channel change and stays on for 5 seconds or so.
After the first ten of these, you get a bit miffed.

345616


I phoned Panasonic Tech Support Australia about this and "he" told me that it was not a Panasonic issue but a Freeview imposed condition, and hence was my issue and problem with Freeview.
There is no Panasonic TV set setting to control the Freeview Plus "enhancements".

I don't exactly know how the video is superimposed, nor exactly how the channel change is detected, but it must be occurring within the TV set, and some data may be interchanged via the internet either to the channel or Freeview or both (or how else would my "fix" work?).
I think it is part of the new Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) standard, and I was hoping that someone more expert than I might see my post and come onboard to explain how it all works and how to possibly disable it (the Freeview banner, not the interactive TV aspect).
But I don't think that Freeview (nor any station) wants us to disable this; it is part of a raft of conditions for TV stations and imposed on viewers, to maximise our enjoyment of TV station advertising.

For example viewers cannot skip ads, or fast forward, on some internet TV, and there are other conditions for viewer recording.

Unfortunately, it seems that most TV set and STB etc manufacturers and TV stations have joined up to Freeview Plus.

My opinion of Freeview Plus is that it is useless for me so far, as I can view the EPG for FTA TV on demand via internet or on my TV anyway (eg via the iView TV icon on my TV, or the website).
Possibly all the advantage is that of a dubiously advantageous EPG; jury is still out.
Freeview (and especially "Plus") maximises TV station enhancement and advertising, and minimises viewer flexibility.

Thank god my new Panasonic PVR is not Freeview Plus.

Thanks for your post Bob.

Anyone have more?

mike

[Master Splinter]

Virtual Private Network + Torrent client = better experience than Freeview. Substitute Nextflix and VPN if you like.

Australian TV stations burned through my patience when 'reality TV' became a mainstay of programming, and they've done nothing to entice me back. They are still doing their 'change the time/day of your favourite program without notice, or even drop it half way through a season as it's not rating as well as we wanted' but now they are adding intrusive lower thirds, too - "Coming up next! A program that you'll have no interest in but it appeals to our key demographic, so stuff you!"

My offer to commercial networks is "Screen the program, same day, same time, for the entire season, no starting late or early (NO excuses) and no cluttering up the program with other stuff on the screen and you have a chance of me seeing your ads. Muck me around and I'm gone."

[Bob Willson]

I like your attitude. :)