When your TV signal breaks up it’s frustrating and it may affect the quality of your television programme. There are various reasons for this including the weather, signal strength and interference. However, if your signal isn’t being interrupted by any external factors you may be experiencing hardware problems that can easily be fixed.
Digital broadcasts are transmitted as a stream of ‘1’s and ‘0’s, and unlike analogue signals they do not fade with distance – instead the quality can go completely to pot and your picture can start to pixelate or not appear at all. This is known as the ‘digital cliff’.
This phenomenon occurs when there is a large area of high atmospheric pressure surrounded by areas of lower air pressure. This creates a temperature inversion. This causes radio waves to be absorbed by the atmosphere rather than reflected into space, disrupting satellite transmissions. It also interferes with local transmitters and can cause a temporary lack of digital signal.
Cold weather can also impact digital TV reception as the atmosphere becomes a little bit more dense, which means that some of the radio waves are getting trapped in certain parts of the atmosphere and don’t reach their intended receivers. This can result in pixelation and poor or no television reception.
As the air warms up these radio waves will get dispersed again but if the conditions are cold and windy this can cause problems as it also causes impulse noise on digital TV. Impulse noise is a fast, almost instantaneous type of electromagnetic interference and can be caused by electrical devices like computers and Wi-Fi routers as well as sparks from hobs and cookers. This can cause pixelation on your digital TV screen but normally only lasts for a second or two.
The location of your home can have a huge impact on the quality of your TV signal. If you live a long distance from the transmitter or in an area affected by hills, trees or large buildings, this can hinder the line of sight between the antenna and the transmitter which will reduce the quality of the signal. For advice on TV aerial repair Bristol, contact aerial-installations-bristol.co.uk/
If the antenna is located inside the house then there are other factors that can restrict the signal such as metal backed insulation and thick walls as well as appliances, furniture and ceilings. This can be easily resolved by moving the antenna closer to the transmitter or even relocating it.
It is also worth checking that all the connections between the television and the antenna are secure and not damaged or disconnected as this can cause issues with your TV signal. There are various tools available that can test the strength of your digital TV signal so you can get a better idea of how your service is performing.