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Thread: Digital TV

  1. #1
    JDNSW's Avatar
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    Digital TV

    Over the last three weeks I have been going through the exercise of getting digital TV. It has been interesting, to say the least.

    First of all let my say that High Definition Digital TV puts DVD quality in the shade, even on my modest set (51cm wide screen HD LCD). On the other hand, very little of what is broadcast is HD!

    My TV reception has never been briliant, but has always been acceptable. It was not good enough for Digital. I bought a new HD STB at the same time as a new TV set. Connecting the box up and scanning for channels found only SBS, and that was unusable. I removed the splitter in the ceiling. No change. Next step was a new mast that raised the antenna about four feet. The box now found ABC as well as SBS, and ABC was usable, although SBS still was not. Meanwhile, I had gathered information (see www.dba.org.au) about what I should get and on what frequencies etc. Also had a long talk by phone with an expert on digital television from ACMA.

    I returned to the place that sold me the box, and found that they knew less about it than I did. Also found that the local town only caters for people in town (which has a different set of channels and polarisations from a local translator), and they know nothing and care less about anyone outside of town - and nobody seems to stock or even be prepared to order in a suitable higher gain antennae than the one I have. So I decided to try a masthead amplifier, as that was a lot less hassle, and also would be cheaper than a higher gain antenna. Got home with it on Friday to find it came without connectors. Fortunately a neighbour was going into town yesterday, so I got the connectors this morning, and installed the masthead amplifier.

    Now I have all expected digital channels, with usable signal, plus one only listed as starting digital broadcasting this month. The analogue reception is markedly improved as well.

    If contemplating this change, my experience suggests that it is likely to be a traumatic experience for anyone who is not well informed. If you live in town, it is feasible to pay someone to install it - here the travel time costs would eat you - but my experience with self styled experts on the subject suggests that you would be well advised to read up on it first. For example, the outfit that sold me the set top box assured me with a straight face that a different antenna is needed to receive HD as opposed to standard definition (they are encoded in the same digital signal, so it is hard to see where that came from!)

    John
    John

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  2. #2
    RonMcGr Guest
    Hi John,

    We have used digital TV for the last two years. We also have a widescreen 19" TV/DVD 12volt combo, that we carry in the caravan as well.

    Once you get used to Digital TV, give satellite a go
    Have one on the roof of the house and a portable unit on the van, all connected to SelecTv. Great for when the TV program is crap

    Cheers,
    Ron

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    Glad to see it all worked out in the end - however from you you have said it would seem a better antenna, a masthead amplifier etc are the main issues that improved your reception. As`you said you also have improved analogue as well.

    I guess it depends on your own circumstance but the change over to HD/Digital and shutting down analogue is a bit of a con on the part of the authorities (in my view). I have excellant analogue reception and the improvement in picture with HD is almost allusionary. In some respects it is worse with the sound on SBS dropping out from time to time (doesn't happen on analogue). As you said the number of programs on HD is small.

    The main advantage for me is that ABC2 is only digital so arguablly I have an extra channel - at least have more viewing options.

    With all the mods you did to you antenna etc is dig/HD viewing all that much better than what you NOW get on analogue.

    Garry
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    I've been on SD digital for a couple of years and would never go back. Never had a signal issue using STBs but a word of warning......if you're really adventurous and get the idea into your head to build a HTPC, be prepared for drama. The tuner cards are no where near as good as STBs in picking up signal.

    Mind you, having a HTPC with two tuners and on the net is brilliant.

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    No greater choice

    The "experts" comment on the lack of -or slow- takeup of digital receivers in Australia, but not too many of them have commented on the fact that apart from a better picture, you don't get much advantage here from digital TV. In the UK, the moment you switch to digital you can receive 8 different BBC channels, including 24 hour news (Live BBC, not feeds from CNN or other syndicated stuff), and in total about 30 different channels, without subscribing to anything. The upshot of that was that in about 6 weeks of staying over there, I had to suffer very very few adverts-mainly because there was so much on offer from BBC. And much of it was interactive. Now there's a reason to go digital!
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    Quote Originally Posted by gobrood View Post
    The "experts" comment on the lack of -or slow- takeup of digital receivers in Australia, but not too many of them have commented on the fact that apart from a better picture, you don't get much advantage here from digital TV. In the UK, the moment you switch to digital you can receive 8 different BBC channels, including 24 hour news (Live BBC, not feeds from CNN or other syndicated stuff), and in total about 30 different channels, without subscribing to anything. The upshot of that was that in about 6 weeks of staying over there, I had to suffer very very few adverts-mainly because there was so much on offer from BBC. And much of it was interactive. Now there's a reason to go digital!
    You can blame our politicians for that, giving in to lobbying from Packer and Murdoch. It'll happen eventually.

    Which is basically why I built a HTPC connected to the net.
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    Channel 10 are going to start broadcasting stuff on their HD channel soon, including some extra news and discovery channel stuff as they are in bed with foxtel.

    I used to play around a bit with CRT projectors and I bought a HD box 4 or 5 years ago and the channel 9 trailer was jaw dropping! Pity we hardly get any true HD stuff here

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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by garrycol View Post
    ..........

    With all the mods you did to you antenna etc is dig/HD viewing all that much better than what you NOW get on analogue.

    Garry
    The difference is definitely noticeable. Even on the standard definition digital the picture has noticeably less noise and better contrast. High definition, what there is of it, is better again. Easiest comparison is with the ABC or SBS, where often there is the same program in all three formats.

    John
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    A friend of mine works for the aussie comms authority. He reckons that a good STB should offer excellent reception.

    I remember him telling me they always recommend a digital STB for people in outlying areas.

    Maybe your highdef STB is more fussy?
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  10. #10
    JDNSW's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot View Post
    A friend of mine works for the aussie comms authority. He reckons that a good STB should offer excellent reception.

    I remember him telling me they always recommend a digital STB for people in outlying areas.

    Maybe your highdef STB is more fussy?
    Could be, but I'm not exactly in a position to try a variety of them. The place I bought it from had two different brands, same features, same price, but did not look to be clones. The specifications for neither gave sensitivity, so it was a toss up which to get.

    It is quite possible that there is a similar problem to that claimed with Next G - problems are equipment not the system.

    My conclusions are that contrary to the advertising, digital TV requires not just reasonable, but near perfect, analogue reception to work. It may be that it is because the problem here is low signal strength (over 100km to the transmitter, relying on forward scattering) rather than signal to noise (remote from any RFI sources, being
    over 4km from any powerlines, flat country, no ghosting).

    John
    John

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