32 replies to this topic

[Computeristic]

I have had perfect digital TV reception for over a year but last week i started to get picture breakup and sound loss.
After reading these forums and doing some testing i have found that-

1. Samsung LCD TV with built-in hd tuner suffers from picture breakup and sound loss, and signal strength meter jumps from 50% to 95% with errors.
2. Topfield PVR has perfect picture with signal strength meter in the right red area( i think this means 95-100%) this stays steady.

Thinking the problem was the old antenna i installed a new one including quad shielded coax and f-connectors.
Also connected the coax directly to the TV instead of through the PVR.

None of this made any difference.

I can clearly see the TV transmitter about 5kms away.

Can anyone help or have any suggestions?

[DrP]

You have one device that has no reception issues and another that does.  It sounds like there may be an issue with the Samsung.  Its not the first time a tuner has gone faulty.  I've even seen cases where the centre pin on the socket has come adrift.  Have you replaced the fly lead from the wall to the TV with a new / different one?  Its possible you have too much signal for the Samsung too.  A professional meter (ie, call someone in to have a look) might be required to determine what the issue is.

[Computeristic]

Yes i have replaced the fly lead. I'll try a small antenna from the kids room to test if it's too much signal.
Other than that ill have to get a pro around to have a look.


Thanks for your help.

[DrP]

Another 'easy' test might be to cart the Samsung next door and see how it works there.

[Computeristic]

I think you might be right with the too much signal theory.
Plugged some cheap rabbit ears into the TV and was getting about 60% signal strength with lots of errors but no picture breakup or sound loss.
So i joined two fly leads between the wall and the TV, signal strength went up and was steadier(77-90%).
Put a coax double adapter in as well, signal strength and quality improved again(signal Strength 90-95% no breakup etc).

Is there something i can buy to reduce the signal from the antenna?

[DrP]

Absolutely.  Search the forum for signal attenuator or drop into your local electronics type shop or ask your local TV repair / antenna installer about them.  If you have an amplifier associated with the antenna it may have an adjustment to change the gain too.

Edited by DrP, 07 February 2009 - 06:14 PM.

[Computeristic]

I don't have a amplifier hooked up to my antenna.
And havent had a single breakup or sound problem after adding the extra connectors.
Ill go and get a signal attenuator on monday and give you a update on the result.


Thanks very much for your help Drp.

[Computeristic]

Just an update.

After trying to find a signal attenuator everywhere around town, I gave up and rang the local antenna installer.
Turns out i have a fantastic signal and the LCD tuner is faulty.

I don't know why the extra cables helped, must be one of those things.

Thanks again Drp for your help.

Edited by Computeristic, 18 February 2009 - 04:55 PM.

[kshort]

Computeristic, I have come trawling through here looking for information as to why my reception has gone to buggery lately. Interestingly, my TV is a Samsung LA40A650. Ever since the SBS change, and I retuned. I get dropouts galore now, on nearly every channel. A cheapo SD tuner has no problems whatsoever. I'm thinking of trying a firmware upgrade on the TV.
About what time did you start having problems exactly?

[confused tv]

Hi All

I have a similar problem. Have a Pioneer plasma PDP-507XDA that will recieve annalog tv channels but not DTV channels. Bought new anntenna, cable and conectors thinking it was week signal but no luck. Tried old tv with new anntena etc and it received DTV with 65% strength and 99% quality. The Pioneer tv says it has 10% signal strength and 100% quality. Can someone help me as I am not sure what to try next?

[Computeristic]

kshort, on Feb 26 2009, 10:28 PM, said:

Computeristic, I have come trawling through here looking for information as to why my reception has gone to buggery lately. Interestingly, my TV is a Samsung LA40A650. Ever since the SBS change, and I retuned. I get dropouts galore now, on nearly every channel. A cheapo SD tuner has no problems whatsoever. I'm thinking of trying a firmware upgrade on the TV.
About what time did you start having problems exactly?

Yes, it was about the time of the SBS change. Now that i think about it SBS is the only channel not affected. I did however try the latest firmware and it made no difference.
I have yet to get it fixed after about 5 calls to samsung(there is no samsung repair centre in town).
If and when samsung can organise  someone to repair it i will post with an update.

Edited by Computeristic, 27 February 2009 - 08:12 PM.

[sparkekev]

[size="4"]Hi all I'm new to the forum. I joined up to search for guidance with TV intermittent reception I've now experiencing. I'm an electrician, but I'm still stuck with this vexing problem, which is:

I have an LG plasma HD ready TV connected via a Topfield recorder. Mostly I use the LG's onboard tuner. However, lately Ch 7 has been pixelating intermittently. If I take the flylead out of the wall socket and plug it in again, the reception is good for a while, then it starts pixelating again! Sometimes if I wiggle the flylead reception returns OK. I'm convinced that there is no problem with the flylead.

I can pick up most of the other channels with the flylead pulled out of the wall.

I live at Kurnell and have virtually line of site to the transmitters.

I have no problems if I use the Topfield recorder's tuner ( presumably it amplifies the signal).

This problem is driving me nuts!!!!!

PS: My friend who lives about 200m down the road reckons that he is having the same problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[mtv]

If wiggling the flylead connector in the socket causes reception to return, then as an electrician, surely that would suggest to you that there's a connection problem?

How are you convinced there's no problem with the flylead.... tested with a multimeter? (a signal meter is preferable)

If it has moulded plastic plugs, they commonly break internally and can be intermittent and you can't see the termination.

Have you checked the coax connection on the wall outlet plate?

What antenna are you using and how old is it and the coax?

Corrosion on the antenna (very common in coastal areas) can affect one channel and not others.

Picking up signals with only a flylead connected suggests it may also be signal overload, with one tuner handling the signal levels better than the other.

I'd be more inclined to think it's a connection/corrosion issue more than overloading signals in Kurnell.

The proximity to the airport/flightpath can also be a factor with reflected signals off aircraft.

You (and your friend) probably should have your signals measured and the antenna & cabling checked.

A competent antenna installer with a digital signal meter should be able to identify the problem quickly and recommend a solution.

[Lawrence Key90]

DrP, on Feb 7 2009, 04:45 PM, said:

A professional meter (ie, call someone in to have a look) might be required to determine what the issue is.

G'day, I live in Mount Victoria in The Blue Mountains N.S.W. and I have reception issues also. Getting ANYONE to have a look starts at $200.00. That is if they turn up after making an appointment and having taken a day off work. So that is a days pay + $200. No one has turned up with a meeter or equipment to check anything even though I have asked.
So saying just get a professional in my not always fix a problem.
If there is ANYONE who lives not far from Mount Victoria that has the equipment to check what is the true state of affairs, is the antenna pointing in the right direction as the house next door to me is pointing in the same direction with what looks the same antenna and the house next to it with the same antenna again is pointing 90 degrees  away from the first two! Should I have a better antenna?
I am not going to name all the trades people who have come here. They seem to just change the cable all the time and nothing gets fixed. I just get ripped off. Like most pensioners I don't have any money and even less now the S.M.H. has stopped printing MY UNISOL puzzle.

[charlesc]

Lawrence Key90, on Jun 4 2009, 08:43 PM, said:

G'day, I live in Mount Victoria in The Blue Mountains N.S.W. and I have reception issues also.

Lawrence, it sounds like you've had a bad run of installers.

mtv who posted above does cover The Blue Mountains area, and is very experienced.  Why don't you send him a personal message (PM) and see when he is up your way again?

He's done many installs in the Blue Mountains.  I'm sure you'd find good recommendations for him in the historical posts.

[mtv]

Mt Victoria has several reception 'black spots' which can only receive reliable reception via satellite (eg: Aurora).

The Federal Government is in the process of revamping the delivery of FTA satellite channels, which is expected to become operational late this year, when the Optus D3 satellite is commissioned.

If your digital reception is determined to be below the threshold for reliable reception, you may qualify to receive the Sydney channels via satellite. (with a dish, decoder and authorised smartcard).

Have you previously been able to receive the Sydney digital channels reliably?

I'd say the antenna about 90 deg from the others may be pointed at the Illawarra transmitters (Wollongong).

It's important to realise that just because a neighbour can receive TV signals ok, doesn't neccessarily mean you will unfortunately.

The key to reliable digital reception is selecting the correct antenna and most importantly, mounting it in the best position, which can only be determined with a site test, using a professional digital signal meter/spectrum analyser.

In difficult reception areas, even moving an antenna just a few centimetres in any direction, including up/down, can mean the difference between reliable reception and no reception.

If you've had installers in the past who don't have a meter, or are still using one designed for analogue signals only, then they would only be guessing what to do, because without accurate digital signal measurements, you don't have the information required to make a dignosis of the problem and subsequently provide the best-possible solution.

I'm back in Katoomba in a couple of weeks, so if I can help further, feel free to PM me.

[mtv]

Lawrence Key90

If you still require assistance, you'll need to PM me quickly, as I'll be booked out for some time within the next couple of days.

[Lawrence Key90]

mtv, on Jun 4 2009, 09:07 PM, said:

Mt Victoria has several reception 'black spots' which can only receive reliable reception via satellite (eg: Aurora).

The Federal Government is in the process of revamping the delivery of FTA satellite channels, which is expected to become operational late this year, when the Optus D3 satellite is commissioned.

If your digital reception is determined to be below the threshold for reliable reception, you may qualify to receive the Sydney channels via satellite. (with a dish, decoder and authorised smartcard).

Have you previously been able to receive the Sydney digital channels reliably?

I'd say the antenna about 90 deg from the others may be pointed at the Illawarra transmitters (Wollongong).

It's important to realise that just because a neighbour can receive TV signals ok, doesn't neccessarily mean you will unfortunately.

The key to reliable digital reception is selecting the correct antenna and most importantly, mounting it in the best position, which can only be determined with a site test, using a professional digital signal meter/spectrum analyser.

In difficult reception areas, even moving an antenna just a few centimetres in any direction, including up/down, can mean the difference between reliable reception and no reception.

If you've had installers in the past who don't have a meter, or are still using one designed for analogue signals only, then they would only be guessing what to do, because without accurate digital signal measurements, you don't have the information required to make a dignosis of the problem and subsequently provide the best-possible solution.

I'm back in Katoomba in a couple of weeks, so if I can help further, feel free to PM me.

Thanks for that. I think I will see what happens in November when I can get some government assistance. Poor invalid pensioner have no choice.

[mtv]

Lawrence Key90, on Jun 12 2009, 03:10 PM, said:

Thanks for that. I think I will see what happens in November when I can get some government assistance. Poor invalid pensioner have no choice.

No probs...

Let's know how you get on after November then.

[kman2ya]

Computeristic, on Feb 7 2009, 02:34 PM, said:

I have had perfect digital TV reception for over a year but last week i started to get picture breakup and sound loss.
After reading these forums and doing some testing i have found that-

1. Samsung LCD TV with built-in hd tuner suffers from picture breakup and sound loss, and signal strength meter jumps from 50% to 95% with errors.
2. Topfield PVR has perfect picture with signal strength meter in the right red area( i think this means 95-100%) this stays steady.

Thinking the problem was the old antenna i installed a new one including quad shielded coax and f-connectors.
Also connected the coax directly to the TV instead of through the PVR.

None of this made any difference.

I can clearly see the TV transmitter about 5kms away.

Can anyone help or have any suggestions?

I connected my pc via a dvi-hdmi cord to my Samsung and it immediately made SBS dropout. All other channels were fine. When I cancelled the multiple monitors setting, SBS came back. Go figure.

[caleula]

mtv, on Jun 12 2009, 12:26 PM, said:

Lawrence Key90

If you still require assistance, you'll need to PM me quickly, as I'll be booked out for some time within the next couple of days.

Sorry to drag up an old thread, however, another Samsung with picture and sound problems and also a disability pensioner like the OP. Before I post, are you still watching these forums?

[digitalj]

caleula, on Apr 4 2011, 02:01 PM, said:

Sorry to drag up an old thread, however, another Samsung with picture and sound problems and also a disability pensioner like the OP. Before I post, are you still watching these forums?

mtv sure does continue to watch these forums, but before you try to send him a PM, you will need to have 5 posts. You can get your post count up here.

[caleula]

digitalj, on Apr 4 2011, 02:09 PM, said:

mtv sure does continue to watch these forums, but before you try to send him a PM, you will need to have 5 posts. You can get your post count up here.

Private Message? Could you point me in that direction?

[caleula]

digitalj, on Apr 4 2011, 02:09 PM, said:

mtv sure does continue to watch these forums, but before you try to send him a PM, you will need to have 5 posts. You can get your post count up here.

Experiencing intermittent picture pixellation and sound dropouts [not fade] at St Clair, NSW.

Have a Samsung LA32A550, LA22B450, Winfast DTV1000 S & two USB dongles.

Initially had a MatchMaster "Digital Ready" antenna from a few years ago, with amplifier and 4-way splitter, three quad-shielded cables and one old cable to the LA32A550.

1. Replaced the old cable with new quad-shielded & new outlet. Also flashed the firmware. New outlet fitted near the computers and there was plenty of signal and no dropouts.

2. Samsung agent had TV for about 3 weeks and replaced the circuit board. No paperwork when TV returned so currently tackling Samsung on this. They also updated the firmware which I had done the day before the set went away. Has lots of new features now though so guess the circuit board / firmware are different.

3. The picture problems manifested themselves slightly differently upon return of the set. Sometimes large block or large line breakup. Sound still drops out.

4. Borrowed a set-top box for a week and checked line and quality strength. It gave high line levels and quality readings. Around high 90% figures.

5. Replaced the amplifier with a new one and still problems.

6. Replaced the antenna with a Digitec CD24 "Full Digital" and the problems persist, however, reception on the computers – DTV1000 S and dongles too – now have similar problems to the LA32A550. Another problem to solve

7. Tried some attenuation on the computers [up to 37dB] and the problems persist. Then tried the 37dB attenuation on the LA32A550 and it seems a little better.

8. The new antenna is still being used until Samsung return my calls. I did a survey and rated the service poorly. A technician with access to their database is supposed to ring back.

9. There's a long CB aerial whip a block away.

The smaller / newer LA22B450 seems to have little, if any, evidence of these problems.

Maybe I could lug the larger set into the other room to try a different outlet where the smaller set works okay?

The Samsung has a signal strength bar buried in the menus. The readings on this, although only a guide, could be informative.

The smaller screen/newer Samsung doesn't seem to miss a beat. It's SD though v. HD.

The young fellow at Samsung I spoke to yesterday finally listened, suggested and was the first person there I complimented upon. Is arranging a home call to assess the situation.

Samsung finally rang to say ring back Wednesday if the home call not arranged by then. Wanted me to repeat the story and I refused after having explained it about six times so he gave me a reference number to quote and would you believe they are sticking to the same one now?

I was then told "if nothing done to fix it we escalate to level 2 and either replace the set or refund your money". Hope I heard him correctly and realise it would probably be pro-rata refund only . Our warranty is 3 years, however, the new sets are only 1 year.

[debruis]

caleula, on Apr 5 2011, 08:03 AM, said:

Experiencing intermittent picture pixellation and sound dropouts [not fade] at St Clair, NSW.

Have a Samsung LA32A550, LA22B450, Winfast DTV1000 S & two USB dongles.

Initially had a MatchMaster "Digital Ready" antenna from a few years ago, with amplifier and 4-way splitter, three quad-shielded cables and one old cable to the LA32A550.

1. Replaced the old cable with new quad-shielded & new outlet. Also flashed the firmware. New outlet fitted near the computers and there was plenty of signal and no dropouts.

2. Samsung agent had TV for about 3 weeks and replaced the circuit board. No paperwork when TV returned so currently tackling Samsung on this. They also updated the firmware which I had done the day before the set went away. Has lots of new features now though so guess the circuit board / firmware are different.

3. The picture problems manifested themselves slightly differently upon return of the set. Sometimes large block or large line breakup. Sound still drops out.

4. Borrowed a set-top box for a week and checked line and quality strength. It gave high line levels and quality readings. Around high 90% figures.

5. Replaced the amplifier with a new one and still problems.

6. Replaced the antenna with a Digitec CD24 "Full Digital" and the problems persist, however, reception on the computers – DTV1000 S and dongles too – now have similar problems to the LA32A550. Another problem to solve

7. Tried some attenuation on the computers [up to 37dB] and the problems persist. Then tried the 37dB attenuation on the LA32A550 and it seems a little better.

8. The new antenna is still being used until Samsung return my calls. I did a survey and rated the service poorly. A technician with access to their database is supposed to ring back.

9. There's a long CB aerial whip a block away.

The smaller / newer LA22B450 seems to have little, if any, evidence of these problems.

Maybe I could lug the larger set into the other room to try a different outlet where the smaller set works okay?

The Samsung has a signal strength bar buried in the menus. The readings on this, although only a guide, could be informative.

The smaller screen/newer Samsung doesn't seem to miss a beat. It's SD though v. HD.

The young fellow at Samsung I spoke to yesterday finally listened, suggested and was the first person there I complimented upon. Is arranging a home call to assess the situation.

Samsung finally rang to say ring back Wednesday if the home call not arranged by then. Wanted me to repeat the story and I refused after having explained it about six times so he gave me a reference number to quote and would you believe they are sticking to the same one now?

I was then told "if nothing done to fix it we escalate to level 2 and either replace the set or refund your money". Hope I heard him correctly and realise it would probably be pro-rata refund only . Our warranty is 3 years, however, the new sets are only 1 year.

I did a job in Canberra a couple of weeks ago where a customer was experiencing similar problems to what you are describing. The antenna was a Digitek. I compared the SNR with the Digitek and a MM-DG16. The Digitek results were 3-5db lower than the MM. I also lowered the antenna height which also improved SNR. Hence the problems you are now experiencing with the PC tuners. They normally require a higher quality signal. I also believe the amplifier maybe overdriving the tuners in the TVs and PC tuners as well.
The only way to check this out is by site survey and signal measurements.
I can highly recommend MTV and if he is too busy let me know and I will organize a time for a visit