Cruella2949 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi all, I just moved into my rental property. I was given an old analogue TV to use. When I plud the aerial into the TV, the reception is ok - snowy on occassions though. I boughta PVR ready settop box from Kmart yesterday, plugged it in and scanned for channels. Its only came back with about 5 channels altogether and each one was pixalated and poor reception. Ive been all over forums and cant seem to figure out if its the aerial thats too old, cable too old, if I need a signal booster, a signal reducer etc etc? Does anyone have any advice? I just want to be able to get freeview so my DD can watch ABC2 childrens tv but its like a minefield of information overload. Failing that, can anyone recommend a pro in the Illawarra that may be able to help!! I would really appreciate as I am boggled!! :wacko: Oh and can anyone tell me if it is the landlords responsibility to sort or will i be digging deep to pay for this. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus1 Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Hi Given that you're getting a snowy picture on analogue, it sounds to me like the signal strength isn't good enough and you need a better aerial. I wouldn't bother with a booster, never had any success with them. The article below (from about.com) describes the scenario. Given identical broadcast conditions, a digital TV signal won't travel as far as an analog TV signal because terrestrial constraints affect it more than analog. Things that affect reception include roofs, walls, hills, trees, wind, etc. A digital signal is so sensitive that a person walking in front of it can knock it offline. In comparison, an analog signal is like a roach. It'll take more than someone walking in front of the antenna to drop the signal. Moral of the story is that in order to receive a good over-the-air picture you need a good signal entering the TV tuner, whether it's located within the TV or digital converter box. The problem is that signal loss is a concern with digital TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Cerberus is almost certainly right that you're not getting a sufficient signal for digital reception but there could be two or three causes to check. Yes, it might be the antenna. However, it could also be the downlead. Any water getting into the cable (usually at the antenna end) can seriously harm the performance of the coax used. Quite often, remaking the connection at the antenna (if there's enough spare cable to let you cut off the first foot or so) can make all the difference. Similarly, it's worth checking the connection in the wall box at the TV end...it's amazing how often that has become damaged or corroded. It's also worth having a look at THIS SITE to check on digital TV in your area. In some areas, the digital signals are on a different range of frequencies than analogue, meaning you DO need a new antenna. Finally, at risk of alienating a lot of antenna installers, far to many of those will try to sell you an over-priced antenna and often a booster that you just don't need. Except in marginal reception areas, boosters cause more problems than they're worth. And--if anyone tries to sell you a booster for the TV end instead of up at the antenna, run a mile. That's the mark of a cowboy. Anyhow, if you have even basic wiring skills, check a few of the above things before spending oodles of loot on getting somebody out. Bob Edited to Add: Hmm...I just re-read that snippet Cerberus quoted and I have to disagree with most of it. The digital signal is, in general, far more robust than analogue. It's affected far less by things like reflection bouncing off buildings and roofs and, given a half decent signal, will give an apparently perfect picture. However, unlike analogue, there's no halfway house. While some people might put up with a very noisy analogue picture, with digital you either get a good one or nothing. The other thing affecting reception is that, in some areas, digital is working at reduced power until they switch off analogue or it's being transmitted in a different frequency band, needing a different antenna. However, all things being equal, digital is easier to get good pictures on than analogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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