Digital TVs

[PowellsMonty]

Do they get any better reception than the old style? We are so far out in the boonies at the lake, we have no TV signal at all, or fuzzy beyond recognition. Don't want satalite unless we have to but so far between the boat & books we are surviving our 3 - 7 day stays.

[Jolu]

Mike I think it is a mixed bag. I can tell you that this past winter where I usually go they had already switched to digital. The picture was near HD quality. What a difference from previous years. This was just off the batwing antenna. I have now added the Winegard Wingman and that helps also in certain areas.

Now with that said I have noticed that the signal direction appears to be more sensitive. Otherwise it appears you need to have the antenna pointed at the source more direct on. This can really be noticed if the tv station transmitters are at different ends of town.

Also I think fringe areas are more of a problem to receive any signal at all. You may not get a signal at all where as before you may have gotten a signal.

I use a dish and am ok with that. If I am someplace where I can get the locals over the air I will use them sometimes. Probably most of us with dishes be it Directv or Dish Network probably would not give them up. Although with 300 channels sometimes there is nothing on to watch. I still find plenty of time to read and enjoy that also.

[dsprik]

Picture: Much better. Range: Worse. People who were on the edge of the analog range of individual stations now will not be able to get a signal. Just the nature of the beast.

On the news yesterday or the day before the FCC has granted permission to several/many television stations around the country who were losing viewers due the shorter range of the digital transmissions to temporarily boost their power to reach the same viewers they were reaching with their analog signal. The govt was not sure what they were going to do for a long range fix for this problem yet.

[Bill-N-Donna]

I believe you have to have a good strong signal to be able to receive a picture. Where we sometimes camp we couldn’t get enough of a digital signal using the converter box to view a picture; but without the digital box we were able to get a snowy picture. I haven’t tried camping there with the new digital TV yet but I don’t expect it will be any different than the signal we were getting using the converter box.

[Art-n-Marge]

Digital TVs will get a better picture than the older analog TVs. The ability to receive the signal is the problem you are experiencing. Do make sure you have purchased a digital to analog converter box for each of your older style televisions in the first place.

What is worse than before is the digital signals lose a lot over distance. I believe that is what is causing some of the difficulties especially if you are in a remote area.

This is why cable and satellite are so popular. The signal is either brought right to the connection you hook into, or in the case of a satellite, the dish retrieves the signal directed into the receiver then on to your television.

Relying on an air signal becomes more unreliable as you get farther from the broadcasted digital signal (away from towns or the station's transmitting antennas). I hope this helps. I'm afraid if you have satellite you'll be messing with that if you want reliable television reception.

[Waynem]

I understand the frustration of many who are "on the edge," trying to watch an over the air picture. In my case, the picture freezes while the audio goes on, or the picture "pictulates" like breaking up, or it fades out all the way during one of the peak moments of the program. Very frustrating indeed.

Now here's one for you. DW is trying to watch tv and I'm on the computer, about 8-10 feet from the tv, doing what I do on the computer. I get a "weak battey" signal on the computer, so I reach down for the power connector, pull the laptop screen down about 3/4 of the way to reach the back and plug in the cord, and the picture gets better. Hmmm! When I put the screen back to its normal position, the picture starts doing what I described earlier. Several tries indicates that the computer is interfering with the tv. I shut the computer off and the picture is great. This happened only on channel 3 and fortunately there was an alternate channel with the same program and that channel was fine. I believe that the computer 833 mhz processor is close, or a harmonic of the Intermediate Frequency (IF) of the tv - but that is just a emjucaded guess right now.

Also, use your menu button and find "signal strength." On my Samsung it is a button on the remote. Once you have the signal strength meter on the tv, turn the antenna for maximum bars.

[Bill-N-Donna]

quote:
Also, use your menu button and find "signal strength." On my Samsung it is a button on the remote. Once you have the signal strength meter on the tv, turn the antenna for maximum bars.

Waynem, that’s an ingenious idea! I never thought of doing that.

[dsprik]

Wayne, good explanation - or else you can start your own Sci Fi show (or, as of today's re-branding of that channel: Syfy)

[bob n pam]

How interesting! Bob was just asking if anyone on the MOC had mentioned any problems with digital TV. Wayne's example and explanation is right on point. Thanks!