Is My TV's OTA Tuner Crap?

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unislick

SatelliteGuys Guru
Original poster
Dec 1, 2005
142
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Current setup:

DISH 942

TV1 = Toshiba rear projection 55 inch HDTV Ready (running component video directly to tv due to proximity) w/OTA antennae (indoor sitting in bay window) attached to 942 receiver. Signal works great and can pull all local channels. I currently DO NOT subscribe to DISH HD.

TV2 = Run into HDTV Ready TV via S-video for PIP. Also modulating out to Bedroom TV. Worked great.

Now the dilema - I bought a new HD TV w/ built in tuner (Toshiba 37HL67) to replace the 1984 TV I had in bedroom. Trying to view OTA antenna HD channels on new TV in bedroom with NO success...tried the following:

1. Plugged TV directly into OTA antenna feed. Changed TV to anntena not cable and tried to tune to HD local channels (i.e. 43-1, 31-1, 25-1, etc..) and get extremely low HD signal....almost nothing at all...definitely no picture. Didn't even mess with TV2 modulator out...just tried to see how good the HD OTA signal was and couldn't pull one using same feed into 942 (only difference is the tuners..one in TV and one in 942 receiver).

2. Used a diplexer to combine the OTA cable to TV2 satellite modulator feed and caused extremely poor SD (satellite) picture quality. Tried a couple of channels (69 & 60) and still saw poor picture quality in SD and no local HD channels drawn. The modulator feed is up 2 flights as it is going from basement to second floor bedroom. I tried the diplexer at both locations (next to 942) and then added an addtional HD antennae and tried to diplex in Bedroom and same result...snowy SD picture and no OTA HD locals.

I didn't use an amp on scenario 2...should I? Other channels?

Will super home node work...I heard good and bad reviews?

Is it possible that the HD ATSC/NTSC tuner in my tv is not as good as the tuner in the 942 since I can't pull any OTA channels when plug antenna directly into TV tuner?

Should I get another HD receiver (942)? I would rather not as I will have to mess with running an additional feed to the bedroom to leverage dual tuner...also will DISH activate w/out HD?

Any other suggestions?

Tons of questions...I know...thanks for any ideas!!
 
ota tuner crap

First
What is your zip code.
Most ota tuners in tv's are crap from experience/ except the one in samsung lcd's, for some reason that tuner is hot!!!
Second dump the diplexors and run a rg from and antenna outside to your tv and see what happens. putting that indoor antenna on a deck or high up on a roof may provide excellent performance and is great for testing.
 
Toshiba OTA tuners are pretty darned good for ATSC. But the usual killer is multi-path (ghosting). With HD channels there is no ghosting, you just lose all picture and sound!

Try the counter-intuitive, put the elements on the antenna all the way DOWN and make sure you are using a UHF antenna and not a VHF antenna.

See ya
Tony
 
It doesn't matter where I live (but if you want to know...zip is 61761)...I can get all my local HD channels from my antenna when I run into the 942 receiver. I am unable to get them when I plug the same antenna feed into the HD TV with built in tuner. I do nothing different to the antenna when I hook into the HD TV with build in tuner (no turning down or anything)..the UHF anntena is non-amplified because of the power of the OTA signals where I live. I don't even mess with the TV2 feed...just took the TV down in the basement unplugged the feed from the OTA in on the DISH 942 and plugged it directly into the TV w/built in tuner and no luck at all. Am I doing something wrong? Should I be able to scan for HD channels similar to the 942 with the TV?

I need to combat the OTA issue before trying to tackle combining with the TV2 SD feed. The only element that is different is the TV vs. the DISH 942 receiver.
 
If your pluggin the same antenna and same feed into the tv and not moving nothing then I would say the tuner is crap. If there is two RG inputs on the new TV, make sure it goes into the UHF tuner, not the cable feed, that's the only thing I can think of. Can you swap out that TV with an exchange ?
 
Only one input. I have to change the installation settings in the TV setup menu as it is either set to antenna or cable. I ensure antenna is selected. Plug in the same OTA feed from my antenna that was plugged into the DISH 942. Tune to channel 43-1 which is FOX in my area (the strongest HD signal 100% on Dish 942) and receive nothing.

Any other suggestions before I start complaining to the retailer and Toshiba?
 
Yes. Do a scan for channels. IIRC my Toshiba TV would not pick up an ATSC channel without a scan first. If you just punch in 43 it will not automatically figure out you mean a digital channel. If that doesn't work and you are indeed only unhooking the antenna jack from the 942 and plugging it in to the ANTENNA jack of the TV (not adding any more cable length or changing anything else) and you have the TV in the Antenna mode, then you probably do have a bad tuner.

HOWEVER, I would try running an antenna directly to the back of the TV to make sure there isn't a grounding issue that is killing the signal.

[edit] One more thing.... take a look at the coax center pin connector and make sure it is sticking up a little passed the screw-on part. Some times this wire can get bent up or "sucked in" so that it is really not making good contact.[/edit]

See ya
Tony
 
From previous post....

Am I doing something wrong? Should I be able to scan for HD channels similar to the 942 with the TV?

Thanks for your support MikeD.
 
unislick,

I just caught something I glossed over before. In your initial message you describe your TV as "Toshiba rear projection 55 inch HDTV Ready"

I missed that little word, "Ready". That little word usually means "NO ATSC TUNER! You need an external box". Or in other words, it is ready for an HDTV tuner but it aint got one!

Take a look at your manual's specifications page under tuner-type and make 100% certain that it states in plain English ATSC.

For example, one of my TVs says specifically in the Video section: ATSC/NTSC & QAM Digital Television Tuners. My other TV's manual says: " Quick-Start Seamless HDTV (ATSC) and NTSC Tuner" and later "CableCARD™ Compatible- and Digital Cable Ready (QAM).

This gets confusing because "Cable Card Ready" means you need to get a cable card and plug it in to the TV for that feature. But Digital Cable Ready (QAM) means it has a QAM tuner and ready for you to plug a digital cable signal into the TV. :)

What model do you have. Plug the number in the search bar HERE

Make sure you see ATSC included in the descriptions in plain english. If you don't see ATSC anywhere, it ain't got it and you need a separate box to get HD OTA and cable channels.

As to the auto-channel search, my Toshiba has it as follows:
Menu > Set-Up (Icon looks like a box with an arrow coming from an open top) > Installation > Channel Program > Ant 1 > ENTER. Wait 5-15 minutes as it scans the channels. If it only takes a minute or two, it doesn't have an ATSC tuner. The ATSC scan takes quite a while. BTW the scan will zip by the first 50% in the progress bar. then slow to a crawl. What is happening is the first 50% is the TV scanning the NTSC channels. The other 50% is the TV searching the remaining channel slots for ATSC signal (Or QAM signal if you have it set on the cable mode.

See ya
Tony
 
unislick said:
From previous post....

Am I doing something wrong? Should I be able to scan for HD channels similar to the 942 with the TV?
Click to expand...

Maybe and Yes. You have to scan the channels!
Are you saying the TV won't, or that YOU have not?
 
To all..thanks for the advice.

Yes, I am referring to the HD TV w/ built in tuner. I did figure out how to do the search (not very intuitive on this model...but figured it out)...and was able to receive my HD locals. Now for the kicker...I used a diplexer and it downgraded the TV2 modulated out signal considerably. I used channel 21 (lowest) and channel 69 (highest) and received the same results...really snowy SD TV2 picture.

Any thoughts?? Amplifier? Any recommended diplexer products that is better than an another...just went to Radio Trash and bought the diplexer for $20.
 
Last edited:
You cannot use a diplexer to combine two different "TV" signals. you need to use a splitter in reverse.
 
From reading other posts...I was under the impression that the OTA antennae signal and modulated satellite TV2 feed were on different frequencies hence the need for the diplexer?

I have one modulated TV2 line coming into bedroom and antenna feed coming into bedroom...what do I use to combine these two signals into the TV tuner without experiencing any signal loss on the TV2 SD and still receiving HD locals from the OTA antenna. I understand I will have to use different channels and will not be able to use my DISH 942 to record locals from the OTA, but need to have them both work and not degrade the TV2 signal.
 
Let me start from a different angle which I hope will help. First, you can not combine modulated TV2 with OTA. So, at your 942, you connect your OTA antenna to the OTA port. You now get Sat and OTA on TV1. End of story! To get OTA on TV2, you need to split (regular splitter, NOT diplexer) the antenna line at some point and run it into the Ant IN on your set. Some TV's have two coax inputs, one for Sat/Cable and one for OTA. Your diplexer is of no use in this matter.
 
Here is my setup....

DISH 942 OTA #1 - UHF Antenna (indoor) plugged into OTA port
DISH 942 TV1 - Component Video running into Toshiba 55 inch HDTV READY HD1 input.

Able to pull all locals and watch on TV1.

DISH 942 TV2 - S video cable running into Toshiba 55 inch HDTV Ready Video 1. Pull SD quality signal from a different line...use for PIP.

DISH 942 TV2 - Modulated out to Toshiba 37HL67 HD TV WITH BUILT IN TUNER. This is ran over 100 ft. of cable into an upstairs bedroom. Sharing same signal as s video running into Toshiba 55 inch TV.

OTA #2 - indoor antenna in bedroom next to 37HL67 diplexed with TV2 modulated out. Tune to channel 60 and can watch TV2 satellite SD quality channels and pull local HD channels from OTA #2. Problem is that this combination degrades the signal significantly...very snowy. Also, I ONLY HAVE ONE Coax input on TV.

So how I do combine the OTA signal with the TV2 modulated satellite signal and not degrade the signal quality from satellite? In reading several posts on this site, I hear about a super home node or a diplexer. So I try...it works, but not a great signal. I realize I can use a switch...but I am way too lazy. Another option is to get another HD receiver, but I will be moving shortly and don't want to mess with running another satellite feed an a room that is 150ft. away from the satellite and up 2 flights.

Any suggestions?
 
Use a lower channel, higher channels attenuate faster.

Try another splitter or use something specifically labeled combiner to combine the tv2 out and antenna.

Try adding an amp, I had great results adding an amp before (on tv2 feed) and after the splitter/combiner. Without the amp after the splitter everthing looked bad and the tv2 out looked bad without amping before the splitter.
 
Tried an amp...one powered and one non-powered. The powered one worked the best, but still didn't get as clear of a picture than just straight TV2 into TV.

Is the diplexer crap? All the amps and diplexer are from Radio Trash.

Using channel 21...lowest channel I can.
 
I'm gonna repeat myself here, because I believe I am correct. Yes, you can combine a regular Sat. line with an OTA line. But I don't think you can combine OTA with the MODULATED TV2 output, which is what you are trying to do.
 
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