Right. At least it gives some relative indication of signal and what level is required for reception. My TV has four bars/levels, the Insignia converter has a single bar that moves constantly. It's really helpful in digging out almost-strong-enough stations (turn the antenna, switch to a different one, etc).
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DTV Setup
- Thread starter Carltheradioguy
- Start date
Right. At least it gives some relative indication of signal and what level is required for reception. My TV has four bars/levels, the Insignia converter has a single bar that moves constantly. It's really helpful in digging out almost-strong-enough stations (turn the antenna, switch to a different one, etc).
On the topic of sub-channels, they certainly offer more freedom of choice. With that being said, I personally have never seen anything of interest on any of the available sub-channels in my market. It seems like many broadcasters treat a sub-channel as a place to stick re-runs of "Laugh In", a live feed of a home shopping network, religious music videos, or even the daily forecast broadcasting on a continual loop. Don't get me wrong, I think the basic principle of a sub-channel is fantastic, but it seems like this service is greatly underutilized.
One thing that cannot be denied: the picture quality of DTV is astounding. I have cable, but the picture quality that I receive on all of my local channels is laughable when compared to over-the-air 1080i channels. If I had LOS to the transmitter sites for all of my local stations, DTV would really work quite well for watching all that I could have watched with analog.
One thing that cannot be denied: the picture quality of DTV is astounding. I have cable, but the picture quality that I receive on all of my local channels is laughable when compared to over-the-air 1080i channels. If I had LOS to the transmitter sites for all of my local stations, DTV would really work quite well for watching all that I could have watched with analog.
Yes, I like THIS TV, and in our area the PBS subchannels are great because Connecticut has CPTV 4 U which is a second station with normal content and CPTV Sports which airs CT sports High School, College and Minor league stuff. I also really like Antenna TV because it has classic 70s shows on it, for us it;s 61.2( Fox Hartford) but it could vary. The other sub channels aren't very good.
Help with DTV!
Okay guys, I thought I would take the opportunity to ask a quick question about my DTV setup. I'm moving to a new place in the next couple of days, and I would really like to try and get by with OTA television instead of paying for cable. According to TVFool, I am located 47 miles away from the broadcast site with LOS to the towers. Although my new residence WILL be located on a hill, there is still some terrain between my set-top antenna and the broadcast site that might prove to be problematic. I also should mention that my new building is a concrete building, which may not bode well for picking up signals that might otherwise be strong enough. Thankfully, my particular unit DOES have windows that aim at the transmitter site, but I might not be able to get the television close enough to the window due to the configuration.
Any tips on how to mitigate these issues?
Okay guys, I thought I would take the opportunity to ask a quick question about my DTV setup. I'm moving to a new place in the next couple of days, and I would really like to try and get by with OTA television instead of paying for cable. According to TVFool, I am located 47 miles away from the broadcast site with LOS to the towers. Although my new residence WILL be located on a hill, there is still some terrain between my set-top antenna and the broadcast site that might prove to be problematic. I also should mention that my new building is a concrete building, which may not bode well for picking up signals that might otherwise be strong enough. Thankfully, my particular unit DOES have windows that aim at the transmitter site, but I might not be able to get the television close enough to the window due to the configuration.
Any tips on how to mitigate these issues?
1) Amplified indoor antenna will definitely help. Set it near the window if you can. Still be prepared to move the antenna around -- from my experience, UHF dead spots can be inches from areas of good reception.
2) a cable that will reach from the antenna to the TV.
Thanks for the tips. TVFool seems to be pretty accurate, but the only way to know for sure is to actually test it. TVFool placed my previous residence well within the "weak" category and I was still able to get some signal life. This new location should be better...
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Well, my experience comes from living in a hole. Analog TV without cable or a good rooftop aerial was iffy. I was lucky if I could get the big three clearly.
When they went digital, I was able to get 4, 7, and a few of the other, higher channels.
I have my amplified UHF loop on top of my TV set. I have to move it around to get the different channels, and even an inch or two can make a difference. 5 is the only channel that doesn't come in here. Probably the Columbia Tower is in the way.
Sucks for Seahawks football, but I don't mind hearing the games on the radio.
When they went digital, I was able to get 4, 7, and a few of the other, higher channels.
I have my amplified UHF loop on top of my TV set. I have to move it around to get the different channels, and even an inch or two can make a difference. 5 is the only channel that doesn't come in here. Probably the Columbia Tower is in the way.
Sucks for Seahawks football, but I don't mind hearing the games on the radio.
I know that I'm living in a dream world, but it seems that all of these reception issues would be mitigated if all of the transmission sites were located on Tiger or Cougar Mountain. I never have trouble with FM, but those Queen Anne and Capitol signals have been tricky since the switch. My new residence is no longer located in a hole (thankfully), and the TVFool coverage maps seem to put my new location in the "green zone" so hopefully I'll have decent results. I certainly do not want to pay an eighty dollar cable bill on a radio salary!
Just a quick update: I moved in today and discovered that there is no life in any of the DTV signals through such robust concrete. The same can be said for the AM dial, which is completely blank with the exception of one channel.
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