broadcasting
Why your antenna sucks for HD reception
Grouped Under: HD TV Antennas
I've written here before, on the front page, the FAQ page, and numerous other blog sites talking about how the biggest part of your OTA digital television experience is dependent on the type and quality of your antenna.
I won't go into all the detail here again but it's important to emphasize (repeatedly) that the single most important part of you television setup is the ANTENNA. Digital broadcasts are much more demanding on antenna reception. Don't - I repeat, DON'T scrimp here. Try to buy the best antenna you can possibly afford.
Which antenna is the best? That depends on your particular circumstances and will vary with each user. Read reviews and look for specifications that coincide with the terrain and topography of your area. Don't buy the first thing shoved under your nose. Do some homework and you won't be disappointed. You are going to have to live with your antenna for quite a while so be sure to get what works for you.
Also keep in mind that price is not necessarily an indicator of an antenna's quality or feature set. Here is a complete HDTV Antenna List
. Read the reviews and find yourself the best HD TV antenna.
I won't go into all the detail here again but it's important to emphasize (repeatedly) that the single most important part of you television setup is the ANTENNA. Digital broadcasts are much more demanding on antenna reception. Don't - I repeat, DON'T scrimp here. Try to buy the best antenna you can possibly afford.
Which antenna is the best? That depends on your particular circumstances and will vary with each user. Read reviews and look for specifications that coincide with the terrain and topography of your area. Don't buy the first thing shoved under your nose. Do some homework and you won't be disappointed. You are going to have to live with your antenna for quite a while so be sure to get what works for you.
Also keep in mind that price is not necessarily an indicator of an antenna's quality or feature set. Here is a complete HDTV Antenna List
. Read the reviews and find yourself the best HD TV antenna.Digital TV Surfing Slow as Hell
Don't blame that box for the fact that you can't channel surf at a decent speed...
This is a limitation imposed by digital broadcast technology. Gone are the days when you can just click away and surf the channels as fast as you can press the buttons on your remote.
Channel latency - also known as zap time is the total time it takes from the moment the viewer presses the channel change button, to the point where the picture of the new channel is displayed and the sound is activated. These kinds of delays exist in all television systems, but they are much greater in digital television broadcasts and it takes a lot longer to view the channel you just surfed to.
You may recall from the Questions page that digital TV can recover from small pieces of missing or garbled signals and guess what the missing pieces are. This is done through buffering and codec factoring. To accomplish this feat, your set must sample a bit of the digital signal, decode it, verify it's accuracy and if necessary, correct the signal, and then display it on the screen and send the audio portion to your speakers. There's a lot going on here and it takes some time to do all these things.
There is no way around this (at this point in time) and it's one of the trade-offs to digital broadcasting. Frustrating - yes! My advice: Accept, Adapt, Adjust.
BTW, this is yet another reason to pick a box that has an exceptional EPG (electronic program guide). Reduce the need to surf by knowing which program you want to watch and surfing directly to that channel. The Lasonic LTA-260 is a good choice for this feature - provides you with a description of upcoming shows for all channels over the next few hours.
This is a limitation imposed by digital broadcast technology. Gone are the days when you can just click away and surf the channels as fast as you can press the buttons on your remote.
Channel latency - also known as zap time is the total time it takes from the moment the viewer presses the channel change button, to the point where the picture of the new channel is displayed and the sound is activated. These kinds of delays exist in all television systems, but they are much greater in digital television broadcasts and it takes a lot longer to view the channel you just surfed to.
You may recall from the Questions page that digital TV can recover from small pieces of missing or garbled signals and guess what the missing pieces are. This is done through buffering and codec factoring. To accomplish this feat, your set must sample a bit of the digital signal, decode it, verify it's accuracy and if necessary, correct the signal, and then display it on the screen and send the audio portion to your speakers. There's a lot going on here and it takes some time to do all these things.
There is no way around this (at this point in time) and it's one of the trade-offs to digital broadcasting. Frustrating - yes! My advice: Accept, Adapt, Adjust.
BTW, this is yet another reason to pick a box that has an exceptional EPG (electronic program guide). Reduce the need to surf by knowing which program you want to watch and surfing directly to that channel. The Lasonic LTA-260 is a good choice for this feature - provides you with a description of upcoming shows for all channels over the next few hours.
Does Your TV Antenna Suck? Don't Blame Your TV Converter Box
Grouped Under: HD TV Antennas
While this may be partly true, I'm gonna bet the more likely culprit is your sucky antenna.
You see, digital broadcasts are a line of sight type technology. In other words, the signal travels in a straight line - unlike the the old fashioned analog signal that could bounce off of buildings and other objects.
Before you scorn that new converter box, better check the age, condition, and location of your old antenna.
RCA ANT2000 Auto Adjusting Smart Flat Indoor Antenna
