Hi all,
Sorry this is a book but I tried to explain it as well as I could in hopes someone can help me figure out what to do next......
We are non-cable, non-dish folks with nice but moderately old (early 2000s) non-LCD equipment:
* A 32" JVC with multiple AV inputs and set up with DVD player and VCR. The VCR has only 1 AV out. It was originally linked to the 32" by an RF cable. This is the one with the problems...
* A couple of 20" Panasonics with just one AV input and with DVD players.
Our antenna is a roof ridgeline mounted LARGE mast with 2 tiers of prongs and connected by RF to the VCR in the 32" set up and to the 20". It's fairly new and we have had great reception on 6 VHF and 8 UHF channels with it. Our location is 30 miles from the station antennas in Phoenix. They are on a mountain top on the south side and we are on the up slope of the north side of this big bowl of a valley here. We're in a rural type area and there are no big trees or buildings here or anywhere between us and the signals. We have had some issues receiving one of the VHF stations but moving the antenna a bit (DH climbs up on the roof!) resolves it until the next big wind comes along.
Well, I bought 2 Tivax STB-T9 model DTV converters and DH hooked one up to one of the small Panasonics. He had to remove the DVD to do it and he used BOTH the RF connection and the AV connection to do it. That set seems to work fine, picking up the digital signals clearly and the Tivax remote works fine if a little slow in response time. I think that I need to remove the RF connection because I'm pretty sure that's redundant - you don't need both RF and AV connection from DTV box to TV according to the instructions but DH went ahead with those anyway. I'm also pretty sure that in order to use the DVD player with this, I will have to buy an AV splitter so I can hook both up. That can wait though...
DH is way not happy to work on the big TV and I end up having to do it -- he loses patience with all the wiring in that armoire (there is also a stereo receiver, CD player, cassette player and speaker connections in the same cabinet).
So the Tivax comes with NO INSTRUCTIONS on how to use it with a TV, VCR and DVD player. You are only shown how to hook up a DTV box to a TV, period. So I googled for the past 2 days and finally figured out that I needed to connect it this way:
Disconnect Ant In from VCR - - Connect Ant In on DTV box - - Connect new RFcable out to Ant/RF cable in on VCR.
The reason for this connection as I understood was to allow recording on the VCR (I do realize the HUGE limitations our lovely govt has given us on our VCRs with the timer no longer really working to change channels...). This RF was also a simpler connection to perform with the layout of the equipment.
I also read about using the the AV connections INSTEAD of RF between the DTV box and the TV and that this was supposed to give higher quality image. But tearing everything up to get to the back of the TV and losing the option to record on the VCR steered me off this option. I thought about trying to use AV connections from DTV box to the VCR but there is only AV OUT ports on the VCR which I assume would not work since the DTV box needs to feed INTO the VCR, not into it's OUT AV ports .
So OK I got the 32" all set up, figured out how to set the various buttons on the 3 remotes and the DTV box autoscanned fine to get all the channels and more. The picture was pretty clear but there was very faint interference showing up as jumbo size moire patterning over the screen and a low hiss in the audio. I wasn't happy about the degradation but it was liveable for a time while I intended to research to fix it. That was at 5 pm. I left it on and we had dinner. Returning at 7pm, the jumbo moire has turned into REALLY REALLY strong interference (like major snow from the old days of rabbit ears, in a fingerprint/moire pattern) and the hiss is quite loud now. Just in time for the new season episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Very annoying.
All channels show the same level of interference and hiss. Checking the signal strength shows that all channels have 100% strength except for 2 which are still in the GOOD zone of 50-60%. Those lower strength channels were coming in the same as the 100% ones earlier and there's no difference in the interference on those stations now. I've turned off and on different lights, fans, computers, etc. and nothing makes a difference. I can think of nothing that changed from 5 pm to 7 pm except that it got dark and the programming changed.
The 20" Panasonic that DH hooked up in the simple connection is not having these problems during this time - the picture is clear and no hiss is present. In fact, it's beautiful. GRRR....
Is there something I am missing? What does this sound like to those who understand this stuff? Obviously this type of connection is not optimal but what other way can I connect it so I can tape with the VCR? Is there some way to force the VCR to have AV IN ports (splitter or RF Modulator or other add on) so I can have the DTV box send a good signal to the VCR's AV IN and then use the VCR's AV OUT ports to send the signal on to the TV?
This is so frustrating. Not only do we have to pay through the nose just to maintain the ability to have TV but we have to be tortured with the technology and apparently the govt could care less about making sure people can actually use their analog TVs and VCRs. I cannot believe all these potential set ups are not thoroughly covered on the govt website as a support for those of us getting the shaft.
As it is, we have 8 more devices to either throw away or "upgrade" by paying full price for DTV boxes. Really annoying when we've worked hard to conserve our $$, buy good stuff that lasts and take care of it. Now it's just obsolete and we have to pay all over again while being tortured with the details of it all. Sickening.... one can only hope for some real change in organization like the FCC. But I'm not going to hold my breath.
Thanks for any help you can offer and thanks for listening to my rant....
Sorry this is a book but I tried to explain it as well as I could in hopes someone can help me figure out what to do next......
We are non-cable, non-dish folks with nice but moderately old (early 2000s) non-LCD equipment:
* A 32" JVC with multiple AV inputs and set up with DVD player and VCR. The VCR has only 1 AV out. It was originally linked to the 32" by an RF cable. This is the one with the problems...
* A couple of 20" Panasonics with just one AV input and with DVD players.
Our antenna is a roof ridgeline mounted LARGE mast with 2 tiers of prongs and connected by RF to the VCR in the 32" set up and to the 20". It's fairly new and we have had great reception on 6 VHF and 8 UHF channels with it. Our location is 30 miles from the station antennas in Phoenix. They are on a mountain top on the south side and we are on the up slope of the north side of this big bowl of a valley here. We're in a rural type area and there are no big trees or buildings here or anywhere between us and the signals. We have had some issues receiving one of the VHF stations but moving the antenna a bit (DH climbs up on the roof!) resolves it until the next big wind comes along.
Well, I bought 2 Tivax STB-T9 model DTV converters and DH hooked one up to one of the small Panasonics. He had to remove the DVD to do it and he used BOTH the RF connection and the AV connection to do it. That set seems to work fine, picking up the digital signals clearly and the Tivax remote works fine if a little slow in response time. I think that I need to remove the RF connection because I'm pretty sure that's redundant - you don't need both RF and AV connection from DTV box to TV according to the instructions but DH went ahead with those anyway. I'm also pretty sure that in order to use the DVD player with this, I will have to buy an AV splitter so I can hook both up. That can wait though...
DH is way not happy to work on the big TV and I end up having to do it -- he loses patience with all the wiring in that armoire (there is also a stereo receiver, CD player, cassette player and speaker connections in the same cabinet).
So the Tivax comes with NO INSTRUCTIONS on how to use it with a TV, VCR and DVD player. You are only shown how to hook up a DTV box to a TV, period. So I googled for the past 2 days and finally figured out that I needed to connect it this way:
Disconnect Ant In from VCR - - Connect Ant In on DTV box - - Connect new RFcable out to Ant/RF cable in on VCR.
The reason for this connection as I understood was to allow recording on the VCR (I do realize the HUGE limitations our lovely govt has given us on our VCRs with the timer no longer really working to change channels...). This RF was also a simpler connection to perform with the layout of the equipment.
I also read about using the the AV connections INSTEAD of RF between the DTV box and the TV and that this was supposed to give higher quality image. But tearing everything up to get to the back of the TV and losing the option to record on the VCR steered me off this option. I thought about trying to use AV connections from DTV box to the VCR but there is only AV OUT ports on the VCR which I assume would not work since the DTV box needs to feed INTO the VCR, not into it's OUT AV ports .
So OK I got the 32" all set up, figured out how to set the various buttons on the 3 remotes and the DTV box autoscanned fine to get all the channels and more. The picture was pretty clear but there was very faint interference showing up as jumbo size moire patterning over the screen and a low hiss in the audio. I wasn't happy about the degradation but it was liveable for a time while I intended to research to fix it. That was at 5 pm. I left it on and we had dinner. Returning at 7pm, the jumbo moire has turned into REALLY REALLY strong interference (like major snow from the old days of rabbit ears, in a fingerprint/moire pattern) and the hiss is quite loud now. Just in time for the new season episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. Very annoying.
All channels show the same level of interference and hiss. Checking the signal strength shows that all channels have 100% strength except for 2 which are still in the GOOD zone of 50-60%. Those lower strength channels were coming in the same as the 100% ones earlier and there's no difference in the interference on those stations now. I've turned off and on different lights, fans, computers, etc. and nothing makes a difference. I can think of nothing that changed from 5 pm to 7 pm except that it got dark and the programming changed.
The 20" Panasonic that DH hooked up in the simple connection is not having these problems during this time - the picture is clear and no hiss is present. In fact, it's beautiful. GRRR....
Is there something I am missing? What does this sound like to those who understand this stuff? Obviously this type of connection is not optimal but what other way can I connect it so I can tape with the VCR? Is there some way to force the VCR to have AV IN ports (splitter or RF Modulator or other add on) so I can have the DTV box send a good signal to the VCR's AV IN and then use the VCR's AV OUT ports to send the signal on to the TV?
This is so frustrating. Not only do we have to pay through the nose just to maintain the ability to have TV but we have to be tortured with the technology and apparently the govt could care less about making sure people can actually use their analog TVs and VCRs. I cannot believe all these potential set ups are not thoroughly covered on the govt website as a support for those of us getting the shaft.
As it is, we have 8 more devices to either throw away or "upgrade" by paying full price for DTV boxes. Really annoying when we've worked hard to conserve our $$, buy good stuff that lasts and take care of it. Now it's just obsolete and we have to pay all over again while being tortured with the details of it all. Sickening.... one can only hope for some real change in organization like the FCC. But I'm not going to hold my breath.
Thanks for any help you can offer and thanks for listening to my rant....
