How to Improve Weak TV Signal in Your Home

We know how frustrating it can be when your Freeview signal starts to pixelate or even stop working altogether. This could simply be a matter of a weak TV signal and you may even already be seeing the “weak signal” or “no signal” message on your TV. If you need to improve your TV signal strength, then as an expert TV Aerial Installer I recommend reading on to find out how you can do this.

Install Your Aerial Outside

TV aerials are almost always installed on chimneys and there is logic behind this. Your TV aerial should be installed at the highest point of your house, particularly your chimney, to avoid any nearby obstructions like neighbouring buildings or trees. This will enable your TV to receive a strong signal as there is a good line of sight between the transmitter and your aerial.

Installing your TV aerial outside is the best thing you can do to improve your TV signal if it is not already installed there. This advice applies to people who have a loft TV aerial mostly, because they will benefit most from installing their aerial outside the home so the signal isn’t passing through the roof.

Install Your Aerial Higher Up

If simply installing your aerial outside doesn’t improve your signal enough, you can always install your aerial higher up, raised above your chimney. This means that if you live in an area with poor signal, you could benefit from installing your aerial onto a 10’ or 12’ mast instead of a 6’ mast to help clear any nearby obstructions. For safety purposes, your fixings must be big enough to support your aerial – roughly 1/6th of the total height – otherwise your aerial could be blown over in the wind.

If it isn’t possible for you to install an aerial on your roof or outside your home and you have to use an indoor aerial, it can be a good idea to move up to a loft aerial. This will improve your TV signal greatly (if your roof is now foil lined).

Install a Higher Gain TV Aerial

One of the other ways to increase your TV signal is to install a higher gain TV aerial. These usually aren’t necessary if your aerial is installed outside but if you live in an area of weak signal or will be running multiple TV’s off one aerial, they can be a great idea.

High gain aerials have more elements in their aerial boom which helps to improve their performance by improving the acceptance angle and therefore the signal that is received. Additionally, this also means that they are larger than traditional aerials so they need a stronger structural support to carry the weight.

Realign Your TV Aerial For Optimal Reception

This suggestion is one the less easy ones for someone manage on their own without an alignment tool or TV spectrum analyzer but having it done professionally could make a huge difference to your TV signal. This becomes even more of a benefit if you have a high gain TV aerial where your TV aerial alignment needs to be more accurate. If you’re struggling with this, please give us a call and we will get someone out to you as soon as possible.

Install A Masthead Amplifier

If you have done several of the suggestions above and your TV signal is still weak then the next best thing to try would be to install a masthead amplifier. If you choose to install an amplifier for your TV aerial, it is best for you to install it as close to the aerial as possible, as this will boost the signal throughout your system. Of course, this means that on the masthead outside would be the perfect place to install the amplifier and power in supplied from behind the TV through the aerial cable.

Masthead amplifiers are used to overcome cable losses and signal losses that associated with splitting the signal to multiple TVs. Although, if you generally get a weak signal, you will see some benefit in using an amplifier. The amount of gain will differ from model to model so it would be best to find the right one for you before installing.

Remove Signal Splitters and Install Distribution Amplifiers

Using passive splitters to run multiple TVs from one aerial increases the signal loss as more TVs are added to your system. Under normal circumstances where a strong signal is experienced, this isn’t usually an issue for up to four TVs in a household. However, if you have weak signal and/or want to run five TVs upwards you could be losing a lot of signal when you’re using a splitter.

This can be resolved by using a distribution amplifier with multiple outputs to different TVs, reducing signal loss and improving the signal strength to all TVs. Usually, a four way distribution amplifier will have a 10dB signal boost meaning your TVs will receive 18dB more than if you were to use a passive splitter. Although it goes against logic, the more TVs you add to the system, the greater the signal received by each will be. While this is a great way to increase weak signal, it isn’t the best solution for all signal areas.

Check That You’re Using The Optimal Transmitter For Your Area

A weird situation you could find yourself in is that your aerial could be aligned to a transmitter that isn’t the optimal one for your home. This is commonly found in areas where one of the transmitters received Freeview in your area earlier than another, causing your aerial to be aligned to that one, while the other one was being upgraded. Most people won’t have had their aerial realigned once the optimal transmitter started outputting the Freeview signal. This is a problem we are still rectifying with customers to this date and you may find that this situation is occurring for you too. You need to be careful that you don’t realign your antenna to a Freeview Lite transmitter as you will receive roughly 50% of the services offered.

Position Your Aerial To Avoid Obstructions

Now, this kind of goes against what we said about installing aerials high up on the exterior of your home. You may find that positioning your aerial at a spot lower on your home to avoid possible obstructions could work wonders for the strength of your TV signal. This is why installing TV aerials is often referred to as a “black art” because you can often find that installing your TV aerial lower down or in locations that seem like they may not work is actually the best position for your aerial. It’s a good idea to test different locations on your property but this will be time consuming. More often than not, it does end up being at a higher elevation, but it is worth having someone check it out.

Do You Have Any Questions?

If you need help with your TV Aerial then please get in contact with us and we’ll be happy to help you! Telephone Number – 01422 353015

Freeview Play Passes 5 Million Purchases and New Mobile App Announcement

Aerial Waves is very excited for the future of Freeview and we’d love to share some great news with you!

Freeview Play passes 5 million purchases

Freeview and Digital UK have announced that they have now passed over 5 million Freeview Play devices sold since it was launched in 2015. The devices provide UK DTT viewers with access to all kinds of TV programming – including live, catch up and on-demand.

It is said that over 3 million of the owners are “active users”, which the company expects to grow to over 4 million by the third quarter of 2019.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Digital UK, “Three million active users in three years demonstrates that collaboration can work for industry and viewers. With the launch of our Mobile App, new device and content partners, it’s looking like a very promising 2019.”

Freeview Announces new mobile app

Freeview has just announced the launch date for their new mobile app which will be available January 22 2019.

It will provide a one-stop-shop for the country’s most watched TV channels and shows. Initially, it will launch on iOS with Android to follow and will be able to stream BBC, ITV and Channel 4 live channels and access on-demand content from BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 and UKTV Play.

Additional live streams and catch up players will be added as the app is updated and as with all Freeview products, the app will be a free download and free to use with no subscription fees.

This marks a significant step forward for the UK’s largest TV platform and first-time people will be able to watch Freeview programming without having access to an aerial. This provides a service that matches the needs for current consumer habits which lean towards streaming on mobile devices. The company hopes that this will follow the success that Freeview has had in the nation’s homes and become the bedrock of on-the-go consumption as well as in the home.

The app is described as feature rich and will allow viewers to browse both live and on-demand content through the supported players from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV. There will also be a recommendation feature that will allow you to discover new favourite shows across the platform.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO, Digital UK said, “In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, the new Freeview mobile app is an excellent example of broadcaster and industry collaboration in action. Today’s viewers value having access to their favourite shows when and where they want and the new app provides the aggregated experience that consumers increasingly expect from a TV provider. We’re putting the best of free-to-air content – public service and commercial – into one place on mobile just as we have on TV, ensuring that great free tv is available to everyone wherever they are”.

We’ve Just Got a Mini Cooper to Advertise Our Business, Look Out for it Around Halifax!

Aerial Waves has been incredibly busy installing TV aerials, wall-mounting TVs and upgrading people to digital aerials but we thought we’d check in with you!

We’ve been looking for a new way to market Aerial Waves to more customers and we are happy to announce that we have chosen a Mini Cooper to join our little family.

As you can see, it is plastered with our logo and the services we provide. So if you see it around driving around Halifax be sure to give it a wave and call us if you need any aerial services.

Freeview Play vs YouView: Which One is Best for You

Although you can get an amazing amount of quality TV shows and movies for free in the UK with your standard service and there are some options to expand this further. Aerial Waves would like to guide you through what Freeview Play and YouView are, what they offer and how they are different.

Of course, you know that subscription services like Netflix and Sky provide you with a wide range of entertainment choices for a monthly fee. However, you don’t have to spend any money monthly to get a close service that provides more TV shows and movies. Freeview Play and YouView deliver exactly this without a recurring expense, except your TV license payment that you’d have to pay no matter what.

We’re going to take a look at what both of the services offer and how you can take advantage of.

What is Freeview Play?

Freeview Play is an expansion of the standard Freeview service that has been available in the UK for many years now. The service offers over 70 standard channels and about 15 HD channels. It also has catch-up and on-demand services that are included and it makes it easier to enjoy content when you want, rather sticking to the TV Schedule.

What is YouView?

Well, there’s not a lot of difference between YouView and Freeview Play in terms of what they do and what they offer. They provide access to the same 70 standard channels and a range of HDs one. YouView also supports on-demand and catch-up services and where there’s a subscription to pay like Netflix and NowTV, they are built-in if you have a subscription to them.

What do I Need to Receive Freeview Play or YouView?

For the standard service that Freeview offers, all you need is a TV with Freeview built-in and an aerial connection. If your TV doesn’t have Freeview built in, then you’ll need to get yourself a Freeview set-top box. In fact, if you ask nicely, you may be able to get one from your broadband supplier at a discount.

Or, you could upgrade your TV to a smart TV that has 4K imagery and built-in Freeview, if you can afford to splash out on a new TV.

Freeview Play will add on-demand and catch-up TV but this is achieved via an internet connection rather than through your TV aerial. It is recommended that you have a minimum connection speed of 2Mb/s for these services to work properly.

YouView works in a similar way, although there are three main ways you can access these services. The first is for you to buy a YouView box directly from a manufacturer like BT, Humax and others.

YouView is also offered as the standard TV package from BT, Talk Talk and PlusNet when you subscribe to their broadband contracts. This way can get a little muddy because you’re essentially paying for the set-top box with a monthly fee, but with various tiers available, you can get additional channels for a higher monthly price.

The final route you can go to get access to YouView is by buying a new Sony smart TV which has the YouView app handily built-in. There’s a wide range for you to choose from, ranging from £400 to £4000, depending on how deep your pockets are.

What Can You Watch on Freeview Play and YouView?

Both Freeview Play and YouView are built on the free-to-air channels that are available to view in the UK with your TV license, so there isn’t a lot of difference in terms of content.

Each service offers BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and lots of other services like Dave, Food Network, Film4 and 5USA. Their on-demand and catch-up content is pretty standard too with BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5 all available for your viewing pleasure.

They also both offer access to subscription services like Netflix, NowTV and UK Play TV, but these all require an additional paid subscription for you to access them.

As there are very few differences between the two services, your choice will most likely come down to your next TV purchase and which one comes preinstalled with it. If you choose to get a Sony TV, it will have YouView, while the majority of other TV brands will come with access to Freeview Play.

Below is a list of the HD channels that are available on both services. Although it should be noted that you need a Freeview HD tuner in your TV or set-top box and be in an area which can receive these channels if you want to take full advantage.

• BBC One HD
• BBC Two HD
• ITV1 HD / STV HD
• Channel 4 HD
• BBC Four HD
• BBC News HD
• Cbeebies HD
• CBBC HD
• Al Jazeera English HD
• Channel 4 + 1 HD
• 4seven HD
• QVC +1 HD
• QVC Beauty
• Russia Today UK HD

Why You May Need to Retune Your TV

There are changes being made to TV transmitters in preparation for 5G mobile signals which will lead to some people losing their Freeview channels.

Ofcom and Digital UK are the companies in charge of coordinating this massive task that will mean re-engineering hundreds of TV transmitters throughout the UK. They have predicted that up to 20million households will need to retune their TV signals to be able to access all of the Freeview channels that are available.

Thankfully, the process of retuning your TV is exactly the same as when you first set up your TV. You can find the tuning setting in your TV’s settings menu and set it to search for all of the channels automatically.

If you are a customer of YouView, NOW TV, BT TV, TalkTalk or EE TV, you will also need to retune your TV.

What can you do if retuning your TV doesn’t work?

Some households across the UK will not be able to simply retune and Ofcom predicts this number will be up to 160,000 who will need a new aerial to continue receiving Freeview channels.

If retuning your TV doesn’t work, then it will be necessary for you to get a digital TV aerial installer to come out and install a new aerial for you. The issue you’ll be experiencing can be attributed to the changes being made to transmitters over the coming year.

However, it could be as simple as needing to have your aerial realigned and Ofcom expects up to 100,000 households to experience this issue. This procedure needs to be undertaken by a professional who is trained to ensure your digital TV aerial meets the correct standards.

There are some rare cases where people may need to change their TV platform entirely. For example, satellite and cable TV services like Virgin will be unaffected by the changes being made to transmitters.

Aerial Waves

Aerial Waves are your local TV aerial, digital and satellite experts. Local to West Yorkshire that is. We’re a family run business, and are based in Halifax, Calderdale, serving many happy customers in West Yorkshire and beyond. If you’re looking for a reliable company that prides itself in delivering the best in customer service give us a call!