Home audio & video: Digital TV is a bust!
Digital TV is a bust!
by DigitalTVsucks - 7/12/08 12:28 PM90% loss of channels after installing the digital converter box:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkm7I7SAbC0
NO SIGNAL seems to be the new fad in TV land!
have you
by givemeaname - 7/13/08 12:13 AM In reply to: Digital TV is a bust! by DigitalTVsuckstried moving your antenna??
1: the channel is not broadcast in digital yet
2: you have the wrong antenna for your area to get digital
3: you have the antenna in the wrong place or pointed in the wrong direction
4: your gain is too low
5: your cable is bad or not shielded
this will help you with 1, 2 & 3
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
what is the signal strength your getting???
4: shorten your cable length, if it is 50ft+ long, look at getting a power antenna or amp
5: if you have one of those thin/flat coxal lines for running under a window & screen, so you can close it. GET RIDE OF IT!!! I had that problem with my set-up. There unshielded and just make problems for picking up digital
I have
by DigitalTVsucks - 7/13/08 4:13 AM In reply to: have you by givemeanameWell yes, the signal must be too weak on all but 2 stations. The antenna is huge and there is a booster on it as well. Also I have 2 different converter boxes, one is worse than the other.
Since analog comes in there is no justification to have a black screen when "upgrading the better TV", unless that's the idea of some derranged politico somewhere out there in payoff land.
It must be your setup
by Dan Filice - 7/13/08 9:13 AM In reply to: I have by DigitalTVsucksI have cable, so I can't make a personal comment, but a friend at work just bought a Samsung converter box and he raves about it. Besides getting every regular SD over-the-air channel in better quality, the Samsung box gets him HD over-the-air channels too, so he is thrilled. I can only go by what he tells me.
how far do you live from the stations
by gabereyes - 7/13/08 11:47 PM In reply to: I have by DigitalTVsucksdigital channels have a drop off distance and if you live to far away you will not get them.
I have been using a outdoor antenna for about 3 years now for my digital channels, and I have no problems with any channels in my area.
how far do you live...
by DigitalTVsucks - 7/14/08 4:21 AM In reply to: how far do you live from the stations by gabereyesThe 2 stations that come in are around 15 miles away, the rest, all that don't make it, are 30+. However, the digi stuff is promoted as "being better", not as "beyond your reach," especially since the analog signal can be accessed.
IT IS
by gabereyes - 7/14/08 5:06 PM In reply to: how far do you live... by DigitalTVsucksI think the blank screen does look better then the old analog signal.
lol
payoff land,
by Freestar32 - 7/18/08 9:04 PM In reply to: I have by DigitalTVsucksall hype to get you to buy,buy,spend ,spend. this mans opinion is one of the hit the nail on the head answer yet,not to mention when all you've seen is grief for weeks and you read this right to the point ,tell it like it is, how you could you not laugh your ever-lovin ass off at this truth. If people don't start standing up for what they want, were going to get what we deserve, zippo ,nothing. If nobody's noticing, no more rallying, marching or protesting at all. They see no evidence of it, so were getting walked on and or ancestors should be spinning in their graves for all they did for us,and everybody's sleeping,for the Love of God,
The facts are what it is (or what it will be).
by ahtoi - 7/19/08 9:03 AM In reply to: payoff land, by Freestar32Come Feb. 2009, one can watch digitaltv or a blank display. No one is forcing us. I remember when I didn't have a tv and I got along ok. In facts, I love to listen to stories on radio; it increase our imaginations.
givemeaname is right
by antennaguy - 7/13/08 10:08 AM In reply to: Digital TV is a bust! by DigitalTVsucksConsumer Reports has rated some of the available converter boxes at:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/televisions/digital-tv-converter/ratings/dtv-converter-boxes-ratings.htm
But TV reception starts with the right antenna. Viewers should certainly try their old antenna first. It’s true that any of these older antennas will pick up some signals, maybe all the broadcast signals a viewer wants to receive, depending on their location. If they’re getting all the OTA channels they want and almost completely uncompressed DTV and HDTV, unlike cable or satellite, than they’re good to go.
But many of the TV antenna designs now in use and on the market today such as the Yagi and rabbit ears have technology roots going back 30 years or more.
Most designs in use now were developed prior to the advent of much of the computer technology, software and algorithms in common use today left open numerous avenues to improve upon tried and true designs and develop new ones. Additionally, recent regulations and standards opened new doors for antenna engineers to develop much smaller antennas with greatly improved performance and aesthetics. Welcome to the digital age.
Antenna elements are based on the size of the waves they're designed to receive, and VHF frequencies are lower so the waves are longer, requiring a larger antenna surface to receive them. It is now possible to build a much more powerful and efficient UHF antenna (where most of the digital broadcast signals will be located) with more elements for stronger reception while keeping the antenna size physically very much smaller than old antennas.
The efficiency of an antenna tells us how much of the power makes it to the cable. In all antennas, a portion of the energy is wasted. For most antennas, mismatch loss is the single largest factor in determining the efficiency of the antenna. Older antennas are less efficient.
While it’s correct that antennas can’t tell the difference between analog and digital signals, there are definitely certain models which have higher DTV batting averages than others. Not all antennas are equally suited for DTV. A percentage of viewers will require something a little more tailored for DTV reception.
While cable and satellite program providers will continue to serve the great majority of homes as the primary signal source, missing HD local reception, compression issues, higher costs, billing add-ons, service outages, contact difficulties, in-home service waits and no shows have left many of these subscribers looking to OTA antennas as a good, alternative and Off-Air viewers happy with their free programming.
With one of the newer and smaller OTA antennas, with greatly improved performance, power and aesthetics, viewers may also be able to receive out-of-town channels, carrying blacked out sports programs, several additional sub-channels or network broadcasts not available locally. And for those with an HDTV, almost completely uncompressed HD broadcasts.
OTA viewers can go to antennapoint.com to see quickly what stations are available to them, the distance, UHF or VHF and compose heading to help in choosing and aiming their antenna. And if they decide to buy a newer antenna, they should buy it from a source that will completely refund their purchase price, no questions asked, if it doesn’t do the job for them.
I'm wondering...
by lonewolfette9847 - 7/13/08 11:57 AM In reply to: givemeaname is right by antennaguyThrough that first link, I made my way to a DIY video for making a coat hanger antenna. Has anyone tried this yet? There's a couple videos of people who've attempted this & had it work for them.
Welcome to the digital age?
by DigitalTVsucks - 7/14/08 4:24 AM In reply to: givemeaname is right by antennaguyThanks for your reply and thanks for welcoming me to the digi age -- sounds like a stewardess welcoming someone to a place she just landed at as well <vbg>.
The antenna I have is the exact same model that Radio Shack sells as their top model. So if I was to break this all down:
1 converter box = $60
minus the $40 coupon that the feds "eats" = $20
+ sales tax on the full $60 = $5
1 digital antenna incl. signal booster = approx. $200
Sales tax = $17
1 digital tuner = approx. $350
Sales tax = $32
(I'm sure I missed something in all this, so it may even cost more)
Total = more or less $624
and there is no guarantee that I won't be watching a black screen.
I think I can do without TV and I certainly won't support the cable or satellite mafia, who are most likely one of the interest groups paying off the Washington crowd to push for the DIGITAL AGE in TV land.
BTW, BestBuy has a big sign up next to the boxes, stating that they will not accept returns, unless the converter box is defect. I assume they are aware of the black-screenTVs.
If I am telling you...
by ahtoi - 7/14/08 9:28 AM In reply to: Welcome to the digital age? by DigitalTVsucksyou are over paying your equipments, you problaly get sicker..sorry. But what's the digital tuner for?
But what's the digital tuner for?
by DigitalTVsucks - 7/14/08 11:04 AM In reply to: If I am telling you... by ahtoiTo your question:
Q: How can I pick up Over The Air (OTA) Digital and HDTV broadcasts?
A: There are currently 3 ways to pick up your local stations:
1. An over the Air only digital receiver that will tune in only the local channels. These can be purchased at any electronics chain for about $299-$399. One advantage to this, is there will be no monthly fees.
2. An HDTV with a built in OTA tuner. You will find that these "integrated" HDTVs will run $300-$600 more than a "HDTV ready" display.
3. An HD satellite tuner. Both Dish Network and Direct TV offer HDTV satellite receivers with the over the air tuner built into the same unit. The advantage of using this method is that there is no need to utilize separate equipment to receive premium HD networks like HBO HD and ShowTime HD. Also, the local and satellite channels can both be integrated into the program guide, to make it seamless for the viewer when switching between local and satellite. You will need an over the air antenna (like the ones we sell) as well as the dish connected to the receiver. These receivers can cost anywhere from $399- $599 although with specials & promotions it is often possible to find them for much less.
Source:
http://www.antennasdirect.com/faqs.html#
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Even though I appreciate all the advice I got here, I understand it is human to blame the consumer first and foremost, without even questioning the system or the set-up. This does little to rectify or fix the issue, instead it demands to throw more money at a helplessly lost cause.
No
by 3rdalbum - 7/20/08 12:18 AM In reply to: Welcome to the digital age? by DigitalTVsucksOne thing that doesn't seem to have been mentioned yet in this thread is getting a new RF cable to go from the wall socket to your set-top-box. If your old RF cable has been in your TV for 15 years, it's probably brittle, so when you move it to the set-top-box, it breaks internally. Surprisingly enough, even when this is the case you can sometimes still pick up one or two channels.
In my experience (as a TV installer in Australia) buying a new RF cable can solve the described problem. Better to buy a $15 rather than a $5 too, as the cheaper RF cables can come "pre-broken" :-D
And yes, it's standard policy not to accept returns of STBs unless they are defective. Some aerial installers do shoddy jobs that result in bad signal strength to one or more aerial sockets in the home, and rather than redo their bad work, they install "gain boosters" which interfere with the digital signals. Some people even try to return STBs that work perfectly, just because they don't like having another remote control.
I think DigitalTVsucks should adjust their aluminium-foil hat, buy a new RF cable, and if necessary check for gain boosters (and if found, get a different aerial installer to fix the original problem).
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