Will an indoor TV Antenna work on my Digital TV?
This is a question that is posed to our Technicians at Jim’s Antennas regularly. The answer to this is simple. Not really.
Indoor TV Antennas are very small in size and strength, and therefore the indoor Antenna does not give a good signal to the TV.
Digital TV’s, which is what we have in Australia now, require a good strong clean signal to get the information it needs to display a crisp clear image.
In the old days of Analogue TV, you could sometimes get away with an indoor TV antenna if you were near a transmitter, or in an area which had clear reception. What would happen on your TV is that as the signal got weaker, it would become fuzzy till it drifted out altogether. You would find that you had to adjust the TV Antenna if you changed channels, or had an overcast day, but you would have a fuzzy picture on the TV of sorts.
Digital TV works completely different. You have information that is distributed over the airways from the TV transmitter in the form of Data, which your TV Antenna picks up and sends to your TV, via a coaxial cable which is then converted into an image. If this signal is weak, the data cannot be converted to an image by your TV, and all you will see is a pixelated image and annoying sounds coming out of your TV, or no picture at all.
Why is it that sometimes I can a get a clear picture on my Digital TV, then the next day it’s only a pixelated mess?
This is an easy one. When you use an indoor TV Antenna to pick up your Digital Signal, the digital signal is not very strong.
Depending on where you have your indoor TV Antenna placed can reflect the strength you get. For example, if the signal comes through a clear glass window, then bounces around the house to get to a TV located on the other side of the room, the signal will become very weak. What will also affect the Digital Signal is the weather. If it is a rainy day, or windy day for example, the signal coming from the transmitter will become weaker at the Antenna.
A Digital TV does have a minimum amount of DATA it needs to convert to an image. If you get enough, you will have a clear crisp image on your TV, but if you drop below this, the image will break up. This Point is usually referred to as “The Digital Cliff”.
So, what can you do to overcome this issue? The simple answer is to install the correct DIGITAL TV ANTENNA for your area, on your roof, which is the highest point of the house, and therefore you’re usually able to get a clearer line of site back to the transmitter, which will then give you a strong Digital Signal compared to an indoor TV Antenna.
If you are unable to install your outdoor Digital TV Antenna yourself, you can always call a professional Antenna Installer like JIM’S ANTENNAS, who have the correct equipment to measure your Digital Signal, and install the correct Antenna you require in the best place on your roof.
For a FREE Onsite NO Obligation Quote today – why not call your local Jim’s Antennas techxpert on 131 546 or book online 24/7.
