TV 'Blocking'

[silliemillie]

My TV is fitted with built in Freeview but for the past week or so it has been 'blocking' and jumping making the picture unwatchable at times. It doesn't happen all the time but every now and again but has been more frequent the past week or so.

Is my TV on the way out or do you think it might be to do with them messing about ready for the big switchover? I live in London.

Any ideas? I am a technophobic!!

Millie

[Postdog]

Probably a dodgy connextion somewhere along the aerial. Try the socket for a lose connection

[Buenchico]

The signal strength at your aerial doesn't remain constant. It's affected by the 11-year sunspot cycle, individual flares on the surface of the sun, atmospheric pressure and precipitation, harmonics from radio transmitters (such as police & taxis, and even your computer's router) and interference from other electrical devices (such as your central heating timer or your next door neighbour's TV).

The symptoms you've described are consistent with the incoming signal strength intermittently dropping below a level which your TV set can handle. You should theoretically upgrade your aerial (and the associated cabling) but, in practice (given that the signal is OK most of the time), a signal amplifier will probably fix the problem. Asda & Tesco sell them for under a tenner but this model, from Maplin, provides a greater level of amplification:
http://www.maplin.co....gle&u=223504&t=module

Chris

[HowardKennitby]

Does it happen on some channels more than others?

[silliemillie]

Howard,

Yes, its mostly on the Freeview channels such as 13 but sometimes channel 4, it doesnt happen if I put it on the analog setting but I cant get the Freeview channels on that and with the switchover coming, wont be able to rely on that much longer.

[SpikeyBush]

I believe that the digital signal will be a lot stronger after switchover, so come October you should hardly have this issue, if you have it at all.

[Hopkirk]

October Spikey? April more like.

The signal strength will then increase between ten and twenty times, so the problem will go away.

Don't spend any money on the aerial until after the switchover, as it would probably be wasted.