My HDTV Picture Scrambles Intermittently

A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

I bought a Panasonic CT-34WX54 HDTV. I am experiencing some digital scrambling every few minutes for a second or two. I check the digital cable on other TV's in the house and they are working fine. What is the problem with my new TV?

-submitted by laz

Answer:

Actually, there is probably nothing wrong with the television. Your set is an HDTV monitor, which means that when you're viewing TV images from an external tuner box (in your case, a digital cable box) it mearly displays the signal as it's received.

The trouble sounds like it's the cable line to the digital cable box. Digital television signals are different from analog ones with respect to signal integrity. Digital signals remain perfect so long as the digital stream is adequate enough for proper decoding, while analog ones will get snowy. The pitfall to digital is that if the stream is interrupted the image will break up into blocks, like what you're describing (similar to how a CD will skip).

If you're only getting the breakup on network HDTV channels, nothing could be wrong at all. Cable companies redistribute local network programming. It is possible that the cable provider's feed is getting interrupted, which means that it would be breaking up on everybody's TV. Comparing it to regular digital cable channels won't tell you everything since those are not coming from local sources. Plus, the cable provider usually receives these as analog signals, then they perform an analog to digital conversion.

You'll want to check the incoming cable line that goes to the cable box to rule out any issues with your setup.
1. Make sure that it's securely screwed on at both ends.
2. If that fails, try replacing the cable with a new one.
3. Replace analog cable splitters with quality high-bandwidth models. Make sure they're rated for at least 2 GHz.
4. Call the cable company, and ask them to increase the signal strength into your home.
5. Replace your cable box.

Did You Know...

You can't always be home to watch an HDTV broadcast, which means you are forced to record an inferior analog version to watch later. It is possible to record HDTV programs, just read the article "How To Record HDTV Programs" for more information.

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com

 

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