I am getting lots of dropouts on the digital TV – sound and/or picture. How do I test whether it is a failing set top box or my aerial?

does your STB have a signal strength meter / widget ?

Borrow another one of either.

Dropbear said:

does your STB have a signal strength meter / widget ?

Not that I have noticed.

KO said:

Borrow another one of either.

OK…

(Is that like going to the neighbours and borrowing a cup of sugar?)

Michael V said:

KO said:

Borrow another one of either.

OK…

(Is that like going to the neighbours and borrowing a cup of sugar?)

Exactly. Put on your best low-cut top and head on over and ask if you could borrow a box of set-top.

In my trials and tribulations with digital TV it has always been the antenna at fault.

My guess is it’s your aerial/reception.

We have terrible problems here, due to terrain and trees and distance to traansmitter.

My TV tuner is much better than my PVR tuner but if the reception’s bad, digital TV can become unwatchable especially because the sound is affected so badly..

When it’s really bad I have had to revert to a snowy analogue picture which at least doesn’t seem to affect the sound.

KO said:

Michael V said:

KO said:

Borrow another one of either.

OK…

(Is that like going to the neighbours and borrowing a cup of sugar?)

Exactly. Put on your best low-cut top and head on over and ask if you could borrow a box of set-top.

OK. Will do. The poof across the road is home today. Actually, I might forgo the sexy dressing bit when I go ask him.

Michael V said:

OK. Will do. The poof across the road is home today. Actually, I might forgo the sexy dressing bit when I go ask him.

But what you find daggy and comfortable he might find arousing.

party_pants said:

In my trials and tribulations with digital TV it has always been the antenna at fault.

Last year, we could see the transmission towers. This year they are not clearly visible, as trees between us and the towers have grown.

Skeppy said:

My guess is it’s your aerial/reception.

We have terrible problems here, due to terrain and trees and distance to traansmitter.

My TV tuner is much better than my PVR tuner but if the reception’s bad, digital TV can become unwatchable especially because the sound is affected so badly..

When it’s really bad I have had to revert to a snowy analogue picture which at least doesn’t seem to affect the sound.

The analogue picture is fine.

Skeppy said:

Michael V said:

OK. Will do. The poof across the road is home today. Actually, I might forgo the sexy dressing bit when I go ask him.

But what you find daggy and comfortable he might find arousing.

Thanks for that thought. I didn’t need it.

Michael V said:

KO said:

Michael V said:

OK…

(Is that like going to the neighbours and borrowing a cup of sugar?)

Exactly. Put on your best low-cut top and head on over and ask if you could borrow a box of set-top.

OK. Will do. The poof across the road is home today. Actually, I might forgo the sexy dressing bit when I go ask him.

Well, that didn’t work. He doesn’t have a set top box.

Michael V said:

Well, that didn’t work. He doesn’t have a set top box.

But did you get a proposition?

Skeppy said:

Michael V said:

Well, that didn’t work. He doesn’t have a set top box.

But did you get a proposition?

Yeah. He asked me to help carry a couch from under his house to his van. Which I did, but now regret.

Michael V said:

I am getting lots of dropouts on the digital TV – sound and/or picture. How do I test whether it is a failing set top box or my aerial?

Is there anything simple I can measure with a multimeter to assist me solve this problem?

waves hi-
depends on the quality (or lack of) in the dtb- but

many of the newer (esp newer AND cheaper) dtb seem to have `freeze frame’, `digital spotting boxes’ and lack of/distorted sound even when fed a 95%/100% signal

imho- its more likely that if you are getting any signal thats watchable via the old analogue channels then its the desktop box thats at fault
and if the old analogue is `clear as a bell’ and the digi box struggles- its not the antenna- its the cheap electronics inside the dtb at fault

my 2c