Former Member Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Digital TV channels are transmitted in groups of TV channels, called "Multiplexes" or "Muxes". Each MUX is on a different RF frequency. The HD channels are on one mux, SD BBC channels on another MUX and SD ITV/Ch4/Ch5 and others on another MUX. It sounds like you're having problems with just one MUX.Somewhere in the menu system there's usually an indication of both signal strength and signal quality. Probably in the manual tuning section.See what you see there while tuned to a bad channel and compare results to a good channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt Kremen Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Since the realignment of some channels to other use, have experienced similar 'pixilating' issues And loss of some channels. Rang 'Freeview' and they sent, 'free-of-charge' a couple of signal attenuators to plug between aerial and the TV set aerial socket. Sort of improved things but still missing a few channels and getting some pixelated ones too. Tried to book a TV Aerial engineer via local 'Check-A-Trade', in the absence of personal recommendations/experiences of friends/neighbours. Result = a complete waste of time and several 'cowboys' either failing to turn up or else trying it on i.e. no two gave the same (very dubious) opinions but certainly wanted to charge for it! Pity the poor old lady unable to see through their blather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 If the HD channels are working OK then sticking to those is the simplest answer. If there's a SD channel that you really want to fix then it needs looking into further. This could be that your new TV is just slightly less sensitive than the old one. Or it's more prone to interference from a 4g mobile phone mast. If the latter, then there are filters available to remove the interference. Do you know which TV transmitter you receive from? We might be able to learn something if we know the affected frequency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Chris is spot on. I would imagine the signal is very much borderline for that particular frequency. The old TV, perhaps a little quieter around the RF bits and bobs, the new one a tiny bit noisier, and presto. The difference between perfectly clear, and complete digital signal fail is rather small. Not like ye olden dayes of analogue where it just went progressively more fuzzy all over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 2, 2019 Author Share Posted January 2, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bott - Moderator Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 It sounds like a reliable engineer with local knowledge is your best bet, then. Meanwhile, enjoy the HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel newby Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Have you thought of getting the chaps you bought it off around. Let them sort it, or give it back as not of serviceable quality. Get them to bring another tele with them. It could be something breaking down inside the TV, as it was ok to start with. If in a few months time it totally packs up, then it will have to go back to the manufactures etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Posted by Percy Verance on 02/01/2019 21:19:59: It seems HD is the way to go Chris. The difference is plain to see........ I'm not entirely sure just where the signal is coming from Chris. I've noticed some houses in my village have aerials aligned in one direction, and some in exactly the other...... I'll need to make enquiries...... Edited By Percy Verance on 02/01/2019 21:34:38 Put your postcode in here and it will show your local transmitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I understand that you are in South Cumbria Percy.....my parents have a static caravan near Newby Bridge so TV issues in the area are quite well known to me..... First make sure you are not picking up the North Wales channels....as the TV signal travels it isn't actually that far to North Wales from there.... Second the body of water in Morecambe bay can have quite an effect on the TV signals as the tide comes in or out...something to do with the signal bouncing off the water. I do hope you fix it...my folks ended up going for a Freesat receiver & now receive excellent pictures via a dish. Another thought that occurs...might the TV already have a satellite receiver built in? Some do meaning you would just need a dish to connect to your TV rather than a separate box. All that said though if the HD channels are working for you then this seems the obvious way to go. As the learned Mr Bott observes a TV engineer with local knowledge of what works & what doesn't will be invaluable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Bernard Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Have you tried retuning? Out of necessity our bedroom telly uses an indoor aerial on the window sill which makes the signal marginal. Occasionally we get the same issue and a quick manual retune of just that frequency will restore the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Our TV normally faultless is showing the same sort of occasional interference. Now it just so happens that high pressure is sitting right over the UK at the moment. Just a coincidence? Good flying weather though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Try this site to find a registered aerial installer. They will find the best transmitter as well. DVB is very poor if you live in any sort of valley or behind a tall object. The signal doesn’t like to bounce and reflect as well as the old analog. We only live 10 miles or so from the huge transmitter at Caradon but still loose signal now and again. Edited By cymaz on 03/01/2019 04:08:30 Edited By cymaz on 03/01/2019 04:09:57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Collinson Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Sounds like marginal aerial reception, mine did it and I had it replaced; problem solved. However, knowing even less about TVs and aerials than I do about flying good slow rolls, if you're ever stuck for a tradesman, court the local reputable property management company as they need reliable, sensible suppliers to mend all the things that tenants break. Flat service charge managers always have aerial contractors as well as armies of Elves, window cleaners, roofers, drain people etc. Just a thought. BTC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Christy Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Percy: What you are describing does sound like poor signal reception, but its puzzling why one set works and the other doesn't! Its certainly worth trying a re-tune, as the frequencies used by digital TV are shifting around on a semi-regular basis at the moment. The government has been busy flogging off spectrum previously allocated to TV for mobile use, and as a result there is quite a bit of channel shifting going on at present! Its also possible that the shop had it tuned in to a local relay transmitter which doesn't serve your location (or vice versa, if you get my drift!). When tuning, most TVs default to the strongest signal, but offer the option to select a particular region. Its possible that when yours was originally set up, it was tuned under "freak" conditions, where a more distant transmitter was actually stronger, for a brief period. Tuning is usually automatic once initiated, and should take under 5 mins. Its just possible that the new set is more susceptible to 4G interference from mobile phones, so ask about a filter for this. I believe they are available FOC on request. Its also possible that the co-ax cable has filled with water over time, making it poorer at conducting the TV signal, but as the other set works OK, I think this is less likely. If a full auto retune doesn't fix it, try repeating the procedure but select the option for you region, rather than strongest signal, when complete. If that doesn't work, try a 4G filter, and if that doesn't work, you need to call in a local expert! Best of luck! -- Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Fledermaus Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 We have a TV in the lounge on Freesat and two others which use Freeview. Both Freeview TV' s started to develop a similar problem to the one you describe soon after the 3g and 4 g mobile phone networks were introduced. I contacted Freeview and tried the retune method suggest ie retune with the aerial disconnected, then retune after reconnecting the aerial. There was some improvement, but the problem was only fixed by fitting signal boosters to both TV' s. They are not expensive and readily available on Amazon. We get out Freeview signal from sub transmitter not from the main transmitter near Cardiff, so Im guessing that we have a reduced signal strength as well as a limited choice of channels. Edited By Dai Fledermaus on 03/01/2019 10:25:01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dai Fledermaus Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 I should have added that the TV's usuing Freeview each have their own aerial. One a loft aerial and the other is a high gain external aerial and as I said, both were affected is a similar way. Also, I think the correct description of ou local transmitter is a relay transmitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 One of my relatives had exactly the same problem a couple of years ago with pixelation on some channels on one (much older ) set and not another fed from upstairs, but by fitting a signal booster at the problem set, the issue was fixed and has remained so ever since. Ten quid from Argos, so worth a try and they'll refund you if it doesn't help. The problem cropped up after many years of otherwise perfect use and although I went over all the Coax and connectors throughout the system with a fine tooth comb, nothing was obviously amiss. Some external cause I suspect. I don't like 'miracle' signal boosters, they are usually just masking another issue and rarely fix the problem but in this case we had a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Somewhere I have a piece of paper which says I'm a qualified TV engineer. Not that it's much use as the last TV I repaired, (back in 1961) had valves and a monochrome image The only signal problems we got were 'ghosting' caused by multiple signal paths We've never owned a TV because I knew how addictive they are and I had other things I wanted to do (I'm weak!) but reading this I'm amazed how it's all changed since I was last involved either as a professional or a consumer. I think I'll stick to my desk top PC for entertainment. We did borrow a TV from Dad's shop for a few days in 1969 so we could watch the Appolo 11 moon landings but that's it until high speed broadband arrived 3 or 4 years ago. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Crook Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 Percy, you mentioned early in the thread that you had a freesat box, but presumably the problems you describe are when you are watching through the aerial derived input to the TV? We have iffy freeview reception, so some years ago I bought a Humax freesat PVR, which gives faultless reception on all channels. We replaced the (Samsung) TV last year with an LG model, and this gives much improved freeview reception (and also has a freesat tuner if I could be bothered to run a third cable from the dish). I wonder if my newer set has a more sensitive tuner, or built-in 4g filtering. I am surprised your newer set appears worse than the old one. Make sure it's tuned into the optimum transmitter/region etc. I had to select options during tuning to acheive this. Most of the time we just watch via the PVR, although I sometimes look at freeview. Occasionally, the BBC SD channels are poor, but the HD ones are fine. As said above, they are on different multiplexers. Amazing that we could get a UHD 49" branded smart TV for under £400, but such offers are commonplace. Edited By Trevor Crook on 03/01/2019 13:16:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackinBlack Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 4G interference is becoming a more common problem on SD channels. There are solutions, see here: **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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