What Does LCN Mean On A Freeview Box?

Have you ever had this message on your TV screen? “LCN has changed”? Do you know what it means? Would you like to know what it means? Read on to find out what it means and how to get rid of it.

What Do The Letters LCN Mean?

If you’ve ever had “LCN has changed” message come up on your Freeview screen you probably wonder what it means. The letters LCN stand for Logical Channel Numbering. It is basically the number allocated to each channel by the Freeview box. For instance

  •  BBC1 – channel 1
  • BBC 2 – channel 2
  • ITV 1 – channel 3 

And so on. When duplicate LCNs are found during a scan or retune, the one with the strongest signal will be allocated the LCN.

What Is Logical Channel Numbering?

Logical channel numbers are numbers allocated to channels by the Freeview box to make the channels easier to identify for the user. For instance BBC1 and ITV1 are both channel 1 but that’s not logical as you can only have 1 number 1. So they assign each channel with a number that makes sense, the LCN numbers can go as high as 3 digits, so some channels will be in the 100s. Usually the HD channels use the same numbering as the regular digital channels apart from starting at 100. So:

  • BBC1 HD – 101
  • BBC2 HD – 102
  • ITV1 HD – 103

And so on.

How To Clear LCN Has Changed Message

If you have this annoying message on your TV screen, retuning will not solve it, the only way to remove this message is to run a first time installation. After the first time installation has completed the screen will be clear again. This is just one of those annoying little glitchy things that happen in the virtual world.

This is a simple task and all you require is the remote control for the Freeview box. Just:

  1. Press Menu
    Scroll down until you see the Set Up, Installation, Update or whatever it’s called on your device.
  2. Select First Time Installation
    This is often called factory reset, default settings or full retune.
  3. Press OK
    If you are asked to confirm deleting existing channels just press OK. 
  4. Wait Until Installation Is Complete
    The LCN message will no longer be on the screen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LCN in digital TV?

LCN is the abbreviated form for Logical Channel Numbers. These are numbers given to each channel on the digital broadcasting platform to identify one from the other. They are user friendly and convenient to remember as they run in a logical way.

Does Freeview have gold?

It isn’t possible to get Gold through Freeview, Gold is a subscription channel, not a free channel.

Is it possible to clear the LCN has changed message from Freeview?

It is possible to clear the LCN has changed message from Freeview just run a first time  installation. 

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