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i hate digital tv

F

flashback

Guest
i don`t know if this is the place for this but here it goes.

in may i dropped cable tv.so now i depend on broadcast tv.i have a analog tv with a converter box in the living room and a flatscreen in my bedroom .i have tv antenas on each tv.

the tv in the bedroom misses some channels totally and while the tv in the living room usually picks up all the channels fine it has the times when pixilation is bad or sound goes out or it loses a signal totally.

when we had analog tv the worst i saw on non-cable broadcast tv was a fuzzy signal.

newer is not necessarly better.
 
Move the antenna and rescan.
We have to do that pretty regularly, depending on what stations we want to see.
It's some work, but it's still better than $70 for the programming. It is what it is. :)
 
For some, perhaps not. But those exceptions don't mean the rest of society need dwell in the dark ages.
 
quadraphonic said:
Move the antenna and rescan.
We have to do that pretty regularly, depending on what stations we want to see.
It's some work, but it's still better than $70 for the programming. It is what it is. :)
Click to expand...

its hard to explain but it is dificult to do that with the bedroom tv.
 
I am about 16 air miles from downtown. Most signals are fine, but the lower WSB 2 can
have trouble if there are strong winds or a storm. Most of the sub channels are affected
by a strong winds, especially if they are a LOW POWER station (a light rain will knock them out).

But, there are some very large trees not that far (maybe 60 feet from the house) and I
think they are the cause of at least 50% of my reception issues. When digital works it
gives a better signal than cable or satellite, but when it doesn't work it's very frustrating.
 
MarcB said:
Does anyone know where I can get one of those new converter boxes? I'm dropping The Comcast Monopoly for TV. Keeping their internet for now.
Click to expand...

You'll have a hard time finding one in stores these days. Best bet is online - but by the time you spend $50+ with shipping to get a box, you're halfway toward a new TV with a built-in digital tuner, as cheap as those have become.

The real key is not the box but the antenna. 99% of what you'll find on store shelves is junk - amplifiers that add so much noise to the signal that it's impossible for the box to decode it, antenna elements that won't work on the VHF signals you have in your area. Google "Terk HDTVi" to find a good, non-amplified antenna that can be had online for $30 or so. It will outperform just about anything you could buy at Best Buy or Radio Shack or the big box of your choice.

Better yet, and cheaper yet, build your own. A few pieces of plywood and a couple of bent coathangers and you'll have something that might look a little odd, but will outperform the Terk.

And before you cut the cable, spend some time with TVFool.com - plug in your address and antenna height and you'll get a very accurate view of what will, and will not, come in with an outdoor antenna. Hartford is a tough DTV market, what with the terrain west of town where you are and the many transmitter sites in use.
 
MarcB said:
Does anyone know where I can get one of those new converter boxes? I'm dropping The Comcast Monopoly for TV. Keeping their internet for now.
Click to expand...

i had mine from radio shack a few years ago with the coupon from the goverment.

i assume radio shack, best buy or other stores like that have it.
 
I think everybody knows my opinion about DTV and Iboc on here .They both stink.but time marches on.Ok I see those converter boxes at the fleamarkets for about $20 bucks.I got two when the $40 coupon thing was going on.they work ok here .but touchy.The next time that I see them cheap at the fleamarket I will buy them.
 
@ Flashback:

How far away do you live from the transmitters in your market?

If so, try having a rooftop (make sure it is a VHF/UHF combo) antenna installed (I recommend having its mast attached to the chimney for extra support). I have found those to pull in more channels than rabbit ears (even in the digital age) when pointed right in the direction of the transmitters--most of which are on Mount Wilson and a few of which are on Mount Harvard in my market (Los Angeles).

I hope this helps.
 
I have 2 of the Zenith boxes. They work better than the more expensive HDTV Digital Stream box that I bought about a year and a half earlier.

The difference is the Digital Stream box will actually do HD and Dolby 5.1.
 
Mike,

If those are the DTT-901's, those are the best! I have the Insignia (same thing).

Like the OP, originally I screamed when I saw digital at first.....the pixellation (of close-by stations)....but the DXer in me has learned what to do to circumvent the problem. The Zenith/Insignia is a start, for sure!

cd
 
Mastaclocksetta said:
@ Flashback:

How far away do you live from the transmitters in your market?

If so, try having a rooftop (make sure it is a VHF/UHF combo) antenna installed (I recommend having its mast attached to the chimney for extra support). I have found those to pull in more channels than rabbit ears (even in the digital age) when pointed right in the direction of the transmitters--most of which are on Mount Wilson and a few of which are on Mount Harvard in my market (Los Angeles).

I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

appriciate that but i live in an apartment.thanks anyway.
 
A lot of apartment buildings had master antennas. Your's may still be there. Ask the super.

If you're on the right side of the building, also consider a balcony or window antenna.
 
I went over to Walmart and bought an outdoor antenna. Its small (maybe 6ft long. I put it up on a single 10ft mast with a 3ft tripod. I also got a preamp from Walmart and a 4-way splitter. By the time I was finished I spent a little over 100 bucks. I now have four TV's with plenty of stations and plenty of signal, and no reception problems. Indoor antennas a just an exercise in frustration!!!
 
flashback said:
i had mine from radio shack a few years ago with the coupon from the goverment.

i assume radio shack, best buy or other stores like that have it.
Click to expand...

When I checked about a month ago, Best Buy had 2 converters available online, but not in stores. I think each model was about $40.
 
Scott Fybush said:
The real key is not the box but the antenna.
Click to expand...

It's truly a combination of both antenna and converter/tuner. The tuners in some tv's are just not as good as others. I own 4 LCD tv's and 1 digital converter. I can plug the same antenna into each tv and get different results on each one. Some tuners need a stronger signal than others to be able to decode.
 
No question that some tuners are somewhat better than others - but even a set with a relatively numb tuner will do OK when fed by a good antenna. A lousy antenna will be lousy with any receiver.

I'm not sure we can answer the original poster's questions without knowing more about where he's located and what he's using for receiving equipment. There are some areas where an indoor antenna is just fine (I'm less than a mile from the transmitter site for all five DTVs in my market, for instance) and others where even the best indoor antenna will never produce usable results. TVFool.com is an excellent tool for figuring out which is which.
 
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