ExiledInIllinois Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 And, as I say, borrowing a little from Ben Linus on Lost, "[Digital] is a finicky B word!" I hear you! Like I said in my post... We have an indoor ant and at the dig stations are strange... They look good (actaully brilliant!) on most occasions except for the ocassional "freeze" or "pixalation"... Sometimes I would rather have an analog signal and slight "snow"... You can tune that out over time... Digital really sucks if you are watching a game and the thing freezes or blinks into blur... Sometimes, if somebody walks into the wrong part of the room... The thing will just go blank! Now, I know that is because of an indoor antenna... But come on WTF? And I a 10 miles or so from the Chicago Loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I hear you! Like I said in my post... We have an indoor ant and at the dig stations are strange... They look good (actaully brilliant!) on most occasions except for the ocassional "freeze" or "pixalation"... Sometimes I would rather have an analog signal and slight "snow"... You can tune that out over time... Digital really sucks if you are watching a game and the thing freezes or blinks into blur... Sometimes, if somebody walks into the wrong part of the room... The thing will just go blank! Now, I know that is because of an indoor antenna... But come on WTF? And I a 10 miles or so from the Chicago Loop. As far as antennas go, generally: Bigger is better Higher is better Outside is better If it bothers you enough, maybe try an amplified indoor antenna. Or you might try picking up an in-line amp or a 1-to-1 distribution amp at Lowe's/HD. If it doesn't help, bring it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 As far as antennas go, generally: Bigger is better Higher is better Outside is better If it bothers you enough, maybe try an amplified indoor antenna. Or you might try picking up an in-line amp or a 1-to-1 distribution amp at Lowe's/HD. If it doesn't help, bring it back. Ya... That was my thinking... It is amplified and has a 50db gain on it. I may fool around with the in-line amp thing. Probably doesn't help that the inside structure has a metal truss construction under the roof?? I hear you about "big is better"... The electrician at work is an amatuer radio operator and man he drives his neighbors crazy! We have an 80 or so foot VHF (FM marine band) antennna... It would be sweet to mount to that! I am still trying to get the boyz to pitch in and donate monthly to a Direct-TV fund... I can't wait till those things go truly mobile! We'd probably fight about sports then? I would drive these Chicagoians with "Bills and Sabres." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I am still trying to get the boyz to pitch in and donate monthly to a Direct-TV fund... I can't wait till those things go truly mobile! They are mobile... http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/conte...ssetId=P4110014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 They are mobile... http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/conte...ssetId=P4110014 COOL! I may get one and keep it in my locker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Edit: 999 ... WTF! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 They are mobile... http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/conte...ssetId=P4110014 My uncle has that for his RV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Edit: 999 ... WTF! Dude, it's a sat dish (that requires no setup), a receiver, and an LCD TV, all in one! What were you expecting??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Ya... That was my thinking... It is amplified and has a 50db gain on it. I may fool around with the in-line amp thing. Probably doesn't help that the inside structure has a metal truss construction under the roof?? I hear you about "big is better"... The electrician at work is an amatuer radio operator and man he drives his neighbors crazy! We have an 80 or so foot VHF (FM marine band) antennna... It would be sweet to mount to that! I am still trying to get the boyz to pitch in and donate monthly to a Direct-TV fund... I can't wait till those things go truly mobile! We'd probably fight about sports then? I would drive these Chicagoians with "Bills and Sabres." 50 dB gain? Surely not. I have an 8-bay that's one of the highest-gain antennas out there, and it's a little over 15dB gain. An indoor antenna is certainly much less, even amplified. If you're only 10 miles from the farm, you don't want something too powerful either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 50 dB gain? Surely not. I have an 8-bay that's one of the highest-gain antennas out there, and it's a little over 15dB gain. An indoor antenna is certainly much less, even amplified. If you're only 10 miles from the farm, you don't want something too powerful either. Thanks. It is this one:Phillips MANT510 Dipole, plate, FM, UHF, VHF, HDTV compatible This 50dB amplified antenna has been optimized to receive digital TV broadcasts with a special UHF flat panel array. It also receives analog and FM signals. The directions are pretty generic, I assume the 5 lights on the thing takes it up in 10db increments? It claims to be 50db, I wondered how true that was? Maybe that is NOT total "gain?" ?? Again, thanks for the advice on "too much power." I bought this "little marvel" and donated to work (if it wasn't for me, we would be using tin foil) for the very easy sleasy low price of about 30 bucks at K-mart... Probabaly a just pretty box, ac power and some tin foil in it! Made in China for 10 cents or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I bought this "little marvel" and donated to work (if it wasn't for me, we would be using tin foil) for the very easy sleasy low price of about 30 bucks at K-mart... Probabaly a just pretty box, ac power and some tin foil in it! Made in China for 10 cents or something... Until DirecTV started sending the Minneapolis locals, I used this on the roof: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882172011 Worked great, if you're looking for an external antenna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Here are my views of digital: I have 3 digital tvs. 2 are hooked up to cable boxes, the 3rd is hooked up to an indoor Phillips 32dB amplified antenna. The problem with the tv hooked up to the antenna is that the tv signals are coming from different directions. Up until I added the amplification, I was not getting all the stations that are out there. In fact, I'm still not sure I'm getting them all because there's a local high def (HD) channel on my cable that I don't get in on the antenna. When I reset the tv to see if they have added this station, I never get it, but sometimes other digital channels drop out, so I might have to play around with the antenna & reset several times just to get the stations I know I should be receiving. Then last night I recorded SNL on a VCR (with digital tuner) and I was getting small gaps in the recording since the NBC station has a weaker signal than some of the other stations. On the cable, I'm at the mercy of my provider. For example, USA Network broadcasts programs in HD, but Time Warner doesn't have USA on the HD band in the Albany area-so I don't get any USA programs in HD. The positives are the high def programs are great and the digial picture is far superior to analog. High def comes in fine with just an antenna as long as the station is working ok on that antenna angle. The negatives are that the digital tvs cut the top of people's heads off on closeups. As more tvs go digital/high def the directors should learn to compensate for this. The freezing & gapping can get annoying using an indoor antena. The resetting mode becoming almost like a lottery as to which stations will register needs to be worked on by the broadcasters in areas where tv signals come from a variety of transmitters. Finally, I couldn't imagine hooking up an old tv to a converter box-you still don't get any HD broadcasts, which is the major benefit of digital tv to us consumers. I have a question for the converter box users-When I put a high def signal into a recorder that is not high def, the picture is shrunk down vertically. Does this happen to the programs in high def when using a non-HDTV connected to a converter box? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Here are my views of digital:I have 3 digital tvs. 2 are hooked up to cable boxes, the 3rd is hooked up to an indoor Phillips 32dB amplified antenna. The problem with the tv hooked up to the antenna is that the tv signals are coming from different directions. Up until I added the amplification, I was not getting all the stations that are out there. In fact, I'm still not sure I'm getting them all because there's a local high def (HD) channel on my cable that I don't get in on the antenna. When I reset the tv to see if they have added this station, I never get it, but sometimes other digital channels drop out, so I might have to play around with the antenna & reset several times just to get the stations I know I should be receiving. Then last night I recorded SNL on a VCR (with digital tuner) and I was getting small gaps in the recording since the NBC station has a weaker signal than some of the other stations. On the cable, I'm at the mercy of my provider. For example, USA Network broadcasts programs in HD, but Time Warner doesn't have USA on the HD band in the Albany area-so I don't get any USA programs in HD. The positives are the high def programs are great and the digial picture is far superior to analog. High def comes in fine with just an antenna as long as the station is working ok on that antenna angle. The negatives are that the digital tvs cut the top of people's heads off on closeups. As more tvs go digital/high def the directors should learn to compensate for this. The freezing & gapping can get annoying using an indoor antena. The resetting mode becoming almost like a lottery as to which stations will register needs to be worked on by the broadcasters in areas where tv signals come from a variety of transmitters. Finally, I couldn't imagine hooking up an old tv to a converter box-you still don't get any HD broadcasts, which is the major benefit of digital tv to us consumers. I have a question for the converter box users-When I put a high def signal into a recorder that is not high def, the picture is shrunk down vertically. Does this happen to the programs in high def when using a non-HDTV connected to a converter box? Good post Alb! My sentiments too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Thanks. It is this one:Phillips MANT510 Dipole, plate, FM, UHF, VHF, HDTV compatible This 50dB amplified antenna has been optimized to receive digital TV broadcasts with a special UHF flat panel array. It also receives analog and FM signals. The directions are pretty generic, I assume the 5 lights on the thing takes it up in 10db increments? It claims to be 50db, I wondered how true that was? Maybe that is NOT total "gain?" ?? Again, thanks for the advice on "too much power." I bought this "little marvel" and donated to work (if it wasn't for me, we would be using tin foil) for the very easy sleasy low price of about 30 bucks at K-mart... Probabaly a just pretty box, ac power and some tin foil in it! Made in China for 10 cents or something... Don't believe the words on the box. This is a fairly good comparison test site. You'll notice that all of the indoor models listed are toward the bottom of dB gain. Amplification they use to boost the number on the box to make anyone go oooohhh and aahhh is a sham. If your signal has noise, then it amplifies the noise and gives you a spotty signal. You want a good initial gain at the antenna --- that's what's important. Always remember that in this world you get exactly what you pay for ...tho sometimes you get less. But you'll never get more than you pay for. I don't know exactly how far away you are from the farm (Chicago, yes?) but you might actually try a 2-bay, outdoor-rated but is small enough to be used indoors (you'll have to manufacture a hanging hook or a stand). Channel Master or the Antennas Direct 2-bay are both decent models. It's in about the same price-range as your Philips, too, but you'd have to order online --- one of the things about in-store antenna selection is that they don't stock for sh-- so many people never see better choices. This is the best I saw in a quick search. Are you having trouble with WBBM 2.1? Right now that's on real-channel 3 --- post-switch it'll be on 12 and the signal will double to a whopping 8kW (Whew! Don't spend it all in one place, WBBM! ), and the so-called UHF-only antennas do have VHF-high (7-13) performance. Too late to take the Philips back? If so, it's your choice if you put any more $ into tv at work. Albany, I'm sorry, I just don't have any experience in the recording stuff, tho I want to eventually get a DVR when there's better selection out there. You might get your model numbers and check on avsforums.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Don't believe the words on the box. This is a fairly good comparison test site. You'll notice that all of the indoor models listed are toward the bottom of dB gain. Amplification they use to boost the number on the box to make anyone go oooohhh and aahhh is a sham. If your signal has noise, then it amplifies the noise and gives you a spotty signal. You want a good initial gain at the antenna --- that's what's important. Always remember that in this world you get exactly what you pay for ...tho sometimes you get less. But you'll never get more than you pay for. I don't know exactly how far away you are from the farm (Chicago, yes?) but you might actually try a 2-bay, outdoor-rated but is small enough to be used indoors (you'll have to manufacture a hanging hook or a stand). Channel Master or the Antennas Direct 2-bay are both decent models. It's in about the same price-range as your Philips, too, but you'd have to order online --- one of the things about in-store antenna selection is that they don't stock for sh-- so many people never see better choices. This is the best I saw in a quick search. Are you having trouble with WBBM 2.1? Right now that's on real-channel 3 --- post-switch it'll be on 12 and the signal will double to a whopping 8kW (Whew! Don't spend it all in one place, WBBM! ), and the so-called UHF-only antennas do have VHF-high (7-13) performance. Too late to take the Philips back? If so, it's your choice if you put any more $ into tv at work. Albany, I'm sorry, I just don't have any experience in the recording stuff, tho I want to eventually get a DVR when there's better selection out there. You might get your model numbers and check on avsforums.com Thanks for all the advice... Going outdoor we will probably have to have some younger blood in here leading this intrepid mission. Well, better than the old days, when the actual TV was under a 20# master padlock... That (the padlock)everybody knew how to pick when the boss was away... And he was the one to pick it before he was a boss... so he took over and the first day as boss he puts a bigger lock on it! Again, at least we are "TV free" (and flat panel) now, unfortunately the ant has to stay indoors (unless you have a stealth system that can be installed)... I am just waiting for the "parental controls" to be slapped on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 The negatives are that the digital tvs cut the top of people's heads off on closeups. As more tvs go digital/high def the directors should learn to compensate for this. Something isn't setup right on your TV or receiver/tuner, because that shouldn't be happening. It sounds to me like your TV is set to "zoom" the image -- which would cut information out, including the top of the picture (ie: their head). I'm a firm believer in displaying the image the way the director wanted -- so I don't zoom/pan/stretch/etc - just leave it on normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 With just under two weeks till the switch, will the government step in again and delay the switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I doubt another delay, Jack. Neilsen is reporting that the current percentage of unready households is 3.3%. And despite the stereotype of "poor old grannies" being unready for the transition, the over-55 population is 1.7% unready; and among the various demographics, the under-35 population is 5.7% unready. At the last delay, it was stated that it would be the only delay, and would allow Over the Air-only households some warmer weather if they needed to upgrade their antenna system. I was a little displeased with the delay. But now there are no more excuses. Eight days left until the switch and then I'll see what problems (if any) I'll need to address with my set-up. More like, tho, mine are inherent problems with the FCC's channel allotment. They gave stations in Boston - WFXT and Hartford - WTIC (both FOX) the same real-channel slot (channel 31) and with me being smack dab in the middle, geographically, my digital tuner can't make heads from tails with the competing information and they cancel each other out. FCC has done the same with real-channel 20 --- the Hartford station will be changing to that channel on DTV-Day and we'll find out what happens then. There's plenty of free channel assignments, enough so they didn't have to co-channel in such a close proximity, but I guess what's done is done. If anyone here has any questions re: the transition, do pose them here and I'll try to answer them, as I've done a goodly amount of reading, installing, jury-rigging, "more-power"ing!! <Tim Allen grunt> and testing... or I can direct you to somewhere that can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Almost a month after the switch, here's how some viewers were affected.... Digital TV conversion means some Tug Hill viewers are in the dark Mark Wigfield, a spokesman for the FCC, said that the FCC did anticipate that parts of some markets would lose channels. The government agency estimated that 89 percent of the markets would expand their coverage with digital signals, but 11 percent would lose coverage. Those estimates are based on the reception people would get with a roof-top antenna that's 30 feet off the ground, which is not something the FCC mentioned widely in its media campaign to prepare people for the birth of digital television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpile Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 :blink: I bolded that, because that's what I was responding to. It wasn't a "mistake" to let the gov't get involved, the gov't is involved as a matter of course, in these matters. It IS a gov't matter. I am just adding to this post in hopes of being called a dumbass or a jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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