Topic ID 264
Did anyone else get abysmal TV reception last night (normal aerial transmission via Bengeo)? Or is it time I bought that 56 inch LCD flat screen television?
Reply ID 1441
Our ITV picture (via NTL cable) was terrible last night. Channel 4 was ghosting all over it.
Reply ID 1442
Is it just us or does anyone else with ntl digital suffer with lost transmission for a few seconds; not just the main channels but all of them. When the picture returns it is usually out of synch with the sound giving the appearance of a very bad dubbed foreign movie. Quite amusing at times but irritating at others.
Reply ID 1443
My Channel 4 reception wasn't great last night - lines across the picture. Often unusual weather (atmospheric pressure?) is blamed for bad tv reception.
Reply ID 1444
I wouldn't touch NTL with the proverbial bargepole. I've had dealings with them before and know how completely useless they are. Their customer service is absolutely diabolical and their internet access questionable at best. I use Sky.
Reply ID 1447
I believe it is due to atmospheric problems. I have had bad digital reception for the past few days.
Reply ID 1448
I too have had plenty of problems with NTL in the past, ranging from dodgy customer service to non-existent dial-up internet services. To be fair to them, they seem a load better these days (and their broadband service has not failed me once since it started.) They even rang me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I was happy with their services. Trouble was it was on a Friday night when I'd just got back from work, so I was in a top mood and in no condition to moan about anything - very clever. Luckily the reception sorted itself out for the second Indiana Jones installment tonight.
Reply ID 1449
I too had bad reception but am confused. I only have NTL (I know, I know) and the box outputs 1,2,3,4 & NTL channels through an ariel coax into the TV. I had the problems described on 1-4 but the equivalents on the cable channel were fine (reception-wise). How can 1-4 be "analogue" and whilst the NTL channel is "digital" (if this is what's happening)? I'm obviously not understanding how this works at all. Anyone care to explain? Confused of Hertford
Reply ID 1450
I've also had problems with my radio signal in Hertford, mainly FM stations. Could this also be affected by atmospheric pressure?
Reply ID 1451
[quote] I too had bad reception but am confused. I only have NTL (I know, I know) and the box outputs 1,2,3,4 & NTL channels through an ariel coax into the TV. I had the problems described on 1-4 but the equivalents on the cable channel were fine (reception-wise). How can 1-4 be "analogue" and whilst the NTL channel is "digital" (if this is what's happening)? [/quote] The output through the Co-ax cable into your TV has to be analogue as most TVs can't decode a digital signal. However it looks like ntl must pipe an analogue 1-4 signal down their box which is presumably being picked up from an analogue transmitter somewhere.
Reply ID 1452
> However it looks like ntl must pipe an analogue 1-4 signal down > their box which is presumably being picked up from an analogue > transmitter somewhere. That would make sense. Weird though...no? You would think they would just take the spplit the digital signals and pipe them up as analogue like they do with the cable channel one. I only got this arrangement because I specfically "innocently" asked to have "the channel buttons working on the TV" otherwise the engineer would have just left me with the cable channel through a SCART and that's it. I think that means I wouldn't be able to record one thing and watch another! (but maybe I'm misunderstanding that as well...) The engineer then put a few extra attachments on the box and an ariel lead. On looking at the instructions for the NTL remote control, it was all about changing it into your one remote which worked your TV as well. I threw that away!
Reply ID 1667
Hi, From what you say, channels 1-4 are being taken off your tv aerial, if you switch to your cable channel and view 101, 102, 103, 104 then you will have a perfect picture. The bad reception of analogue tv & radio is caused by a summer condition call "Sporadic E" where the atmospheric E layer starts reflecting signals (which would usualy go out into space) back to earth. Due to the angle of reflection what should be just a local signal can end up thousands of miles away. It is possible to recieve radio and tv signals from as far away as the middle east and north Africa when conditions are right (or wrong depending on your point of view. The Bengeo transmitter is affected quite badly during summer because it takes it's feed directly off air from Crystal Palace which means you can get to see two lots of interferance at the same time, one lot on the London channel and another on the Bengeo one. what fun Forbes