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2023: The Year In Signals

It’s that time again! During the last week of every year I look back at the big stories that defined the year in Solid-Signal-Land. 2023 was certainly exciting and it’s amazing when I look back at all the wins and challenges we’ve seen. The year in satellite TV What a year! DIRECTV had two massive wins this year in the hardware category. The Gemini for Satellite is the first new residential hardware for the company since 2017. It brings apps, a new form factor, speed, and an all-new Bluetooth remote with voice. To say it’s been popular is an understatement! The other exciting piece of hardware for the company is the H26K Commercial Receiver. This is DIRECTV’s first standalone receiver since 2011, and the first ever commercial-only...
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Is it worth it to recycle that old antenna?

If your house was built before 1980 it probably has an old antenna on the roof. You might consider it an eyesore, and I get it. A lot of these old antennas aren’t in great shape after 50 years or more. You may not be using it at all, but is it worth it to try to make some money off it? Don’t give up on free TV Before taking an antenna off the roof, inspect it thoroughly. A lot of older antennas still work great, and even if an element or two is bent they still do fine. Those bent elements can even be bent back into place with a little time and effort. Every TV antenna made for US broadcasting will still work with the new HD channels, although newer antennas may do a better job. Still, it may be worth trying out that old antenna before...
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: Broadcasting in the Year 2000

Back when the 21st century was first opening itself up to us, we wondered what it would mean for television. This was a time when getting on the internet meant dialing a phone number, when printed magazines were the best way to get information, and when the promise of high definition TV was still in the future. Take a look at this scan of Broadcasting and Cable’s July edition. That’s right, this was a printed magazine that someone scanned into a computer for us to share. That’s how we did things back then. It’s full of millennially bad design decisions and a bit of wince-worthy endorsement of Bill Cosby. Still, if you really want to get to the fun part, scroll to page 43 of the PDF. Digital Television – the next challenge This is a...
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Will “Windows Dynamic Lighting” make a difference?

I don’t often give Microsoft a lot of credit for innovating. Generally when I speak of Microsoft products at all, it’s about how I hate Outlook or how they messed up the perfectly good Start menu. For the record, they’re slowly rolling out a completely new version of Outlook and slowly fixing the things they intentionally broke with the Start menu and taskbar. But that’s not really the subject of this article. As part of their 23H2 update (which they stubbornly refuse to call Windows 11.1 or whatever) there’s a new subsystem called “Windows Dynamic Lighting.” This is Microsoft’s attempt to standardize drivers for gaming devices in much the same way they standardized printer drivers a decade ago. It’s a noble goal. But will it work...
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What does an amber light on a DECA mean?

Of all the equipment produced by DIRECTV over the years, the DECA is one of most misunderstood. That’s a shame, because it’s also a very flexible and useful piece of equipment. I go into detail on what a DECA does here, but here’s the short version: It effectively converts between wired Ethernet and DIRECTV’s MoCA network. It checks and monitors the quality of communication. It pairs with other devices on the MoCA network for smooth transfer of data. Basically, it’s the way that network information gets from your coaxial cable to anything that uses Ethernet. People use them to add Ethernet ports in places where there aren’t any, and DIRECTV’s Gemini uses one because it doesn’t have a built-in coaxial connector. For the most part a...
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Why can’t you get TV from other local markets?

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” This saying was in common use in the 1800s and was believed to have first been published by Benjamin Franklin. Personally, I agree with it. While other folks love to party through the night, I generally work a while, relax a while, and turn in before the party gets started. This is true whether I’m working in our west coast offices, at our home offices in Novi Michigan, or somewhere else. That’s one reason I’d love to get my Detroit locals when I’m traveling. It would be great to watch a whole evening of prime time and turn in by 8:30. I’d also love to know what’s going on at home and sometimes I plain old don’t care what’s going on in the city I’m visiting...
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How can antennas be shaped like Xs and Os?

It isn’t tic-tac-toe, you know. Take a look at the antenna at the top of this article. It’s the Antennas Direct Clearstream 2V. The elements are nice and round. Now take a look at this antenna, the Xtreme Signal HDB8X: The antennas don’t look all that similar. One of the things you’ll notice quickly is that the front of one antenna has pieces that look like the letter “O.” The other has pieces on the front that look like the letter “X.” How can both of them still be effective antennas? Your average person would say that it has to be one or the other. One of these designs has to be inherently better than the other. Your average person would be wrong. Both designs are different ways of getting to the same place. The X-shaped...
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Will DRM (copy protection) kill 4K over-the-air television?

Friends, let me apologize right up front for the clickbaity headline. I prefer not to use these overly dramatic headlines but there’s no denying they work. Anyway. For the last six or seven years, there’s been a consortium working to improve the way you get over-the-air television. Using the latest technology, they can now provide a much better level of service than anyone thought was possible. This new technology, called ATSC 3.0 or NextGen TV, promises a whole laundry list of improvements, not the least of which are: 4K picture and better quality sound on-demand and interactive programming ability to watch in a moving vehicle ads that are targeted to your preferences It’s that last one that has broadcasters excited. While cable...
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Ken Reid’s Year In Review

As is (now at least) the tradition, Ken flies solo for a warts and all, behind the scenes, stream of consciousness, week by week, episode by episode review of 2023, and anything else that pops into his head. I’m Ken Reid, a stand up comedian from Boston, MA and a life long television fan. I’ve been twice nominated as the Best Stand up in Boston and I have been featured on Comedy Central, NPR, Nerdist, and MSN. I own every issue of TV Guide. Each week a guest chooses an issue at random, picks their viewing choices from that week and the show is our discussion of the tough viewing choices of our past. We get into stories about growing up, people’s relationship with television, some cultural/media studies dissection and I spit out a lot...
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Podcast #558: The truth about cell phone signal boosters

Will a cell booster fry your brain? Here’s a myth that just won’t go away. Take a listen and see if you can understand why. Then, shop at Solid Signal - Signal Solutions including HDTV Antennas, DIRECTV and DISH Network satellite equipment and home entertainment supplies and accessories or call 888-233-7563 for the cell booster you need! Listen to the podcast your way! Just choose one of the following: Option 1: Click on the image above to stream the podcast in your browser. If you use the YouTube player above, be sure to subscribe to get future videos delivered to you! Option 2: The Solid Signal Podcast is available on several podcast aggregators. Search for us, or tap on the links below on your mobile device. If you want us to add...
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Can you use an indoor antenna if you’re 85 miles from the towers?

There are some folks who won’t go up on the roof, no matter what. Some people just physically can’t, some don’t have roof access because they live in a high-rise, and some people’s spouses don’t let them. Unfortunately, if you want free over-the-air TV you’ll have to decide if a trip to the roof is in the cards for you. Why is an outdoor antenna important? Most people who live more than 40 miles from the broadcast towers will need an outdoor antenna. There are several reasons for this. The most important is that broadcast signals get very weak once you’re that far away. There’s something called the “rule of squares” that applies to every form of broadcasting. It says, as you double the distance from a transmitter, the signal loses 3/4...
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What to do if you lose local TV channels in your RV

See if this scenario sounds familiar. You have a satellite dish in your RV. It may be a fixed one like a KING Phoenix for DISH or DIRECTV, or a portable one like a KING Tailgater Pro or KING One Pro. All your national channels come in just fine, but the local ones don’t come in at all. You may get an onscreen error that you’re searching for signal or they just might not appear in the guide at all. What’s happening, and what can you do? The most common explanation: you’re too far from home Because of a complicated mix of regulations, satellite companies can only offer you local channels that originate in the city where your billing address is. This was originally done to help protect small local channels from competition with much...
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Do you need obstruction lighting on your antenna tower?

If you’re serious about antennas, you might be considering a tower in your backyard. Antenna towers make it possible to put your antenna high above roofs and trees. Remember up to 90% of your signal can be blocked by common objects like houses. So, a tower is a great way to make sure that you’re getting the best possible signal. Towers are more common in rural areas of course, where people have plenty of room to put one up. An average person probably doesn’t need to put a tower much higher than 50 feet. However, there are cases where you need to go higher than that. You might even need to go so high that you need to think about obstruction lights. An obstruction light is the light that goes at the top of your tower. You’ve probably...
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Is the USB port on a Gemini good for anything?

Take a look at this picture. It’s the back of a DIRECTV Gemini. You’re probably pretty familiar with Gemini at this point, but for those who aren’t: It’s the latest and greatest DIRECTV box. It adds the ability to use streaming apps to a standard Genie client, giving you one device that works with everything. The Gemini has been designed for folks who want the simplest possible installation, and that’s most people. Even if you have a very fancy home theater in your living room, chances are there’s a bedroom or guest room with a much simpler setup somewhere in your home. That’s where you’ll want to put the Gemini. Why every piece of DIRECTV gear has a USB port Unless I’m forgetting a device, every DIRECTV box for about the last 18...
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