Is Digital Broadcast TV crap?

[rick-l]

Is it just me and my location or is the only TV we all get for free next February mostly unwatchable?

• Wind or rain = intermittent black screen
• Station more than 15 miles away = sound dropouts and pixelization

I bet the cable companies will love this.

[porsche4life]

We arent having many problems with the rain issue. And the distance thing can be a weak broadcast signal. Hopefully when they go to all digital the stations will amp up the power to the digital. Oh we are about 90 miles form the broadcast stations out here and that is the cause of most of our problems but we pick up digital with few issues.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Virtually all TV is crap.

[71T Targa]

The new digital signals I get are WAY better for picture quality and sound. But with digital either you get it or you don't. There is no 'snow' or picking up fringe channels.

[gr8fl4porsche]

My OTA HD is affected by the weather. The big networks usually look great. The local PBS affiliate only comes in perfect on clear sunny days. When it's overcast, the picture pauses and flashes occasionally.

[john70t]

If you press the 4 and the 12 button simultaneously, you get the Playboy channel.

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by john70t

If you press the 4 and the 12 button simultaneously, you get the Playboy channel.

Dude, you rock!

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by john70t

If you press the 4 and the 12 button simultaneously, you get the Playboy channel.

Ahhh, just where is the "12 button" on your (or any) remote control pray tell?

Good try!

[onewhippedpuppy]

The best channels I get are the free HD ones. No antenna, they come in great regardless of weather.

[Mule]

2 good 1 bad here.

[rick-l]

What the ??? when I go to http://www.antennaweb.org/and type in my address these are all the DTV stations it lists. I know I get 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 5.2 and 4.1 CBS.

DTV- Antenna Type -Call Sign -Channel -Network -City, State -Compass Heading -Miles From - Frequency Assignment
* violet uhf KDNL-DT 30.1 ABC ST. LOUIS, MO 119° 12.0 31
* violet uhf KSDK-DT 5.1 NBC ST. LOUIS, MO 123° 12.3 35
* violet uhf KPLR-DT 11.1 CW ST. LOUIS, MO 120° 12.5 26
* violet uhf KTVI-DT 2.1 FOX St. Louis, MO 138° 12.1 43

These are however the only stations I get really well St Louis (Chesterfield)

p.s. a Violet uhf antenna is a large directional antenna.

[Dixie]

What kind of antenna are you using?

We watch OTA (Over The Air) HDTV. The reception is way better than analog.

All signals are broadcast from about 20 miles away. We pick them up using a mid-small sized directional UHV/VHF antenna. (Yes, one station uses a VHF HD signal.) Our antenna is mounted about five feet above our roofline. It's in no way a perfect installation since it's lower than the woods surrounding our house. I need to add that we are running a powered signal booster. But that's mostly because the signal gets fed to three different sets.

Testimonial: On occasion, a station our antenna targets will go off air. We find we still get darn good reception off an affiliate station. Oddly the affiliate is 30 miles away, and in the opposite direction. In other words, we're getting pretty good reception off the backside of the antenna.

[porsche4life]

Wow our local PBS affiliate has the bet signal out there. Lik tonight everything else is fuzz but pbs is crystal clear. And yes de tell where the 12 is on my remote.

[Dixie]

Wow our local PBS affiliate has the bet signal out there.

Of course they do. They have the best equipment. They have the best funding.

[TerryH]

If the transmitting towers in your area are spread out you may need more than one antenna or add rabbit ears.