All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the next one. One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the sound is fine. The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, another splitter/amp, and a long cable, If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years?
Where is the problem likely to be?
Started by ●May 27, 2023
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On Saturday, May 27, 2023 at 5:41:40 PM UTC-4, micky wrote:> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but > now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the > next one. > > One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the > sound is fine. > > The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible > but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. > Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, > another splitter/amp, and a long cable, > > If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in > the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second > amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running > constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years?Should I assume that these signals are all digital? You don't say if the distorted sound is only from the antenna, the DVD player or both. If one, but not the other, then that points you to the problem. If both, that points in another direction. If the problem is when using any source, I would suspect the multiple splitters. This is easy enough to test. A kitchen TV should be portable enough that you can take it to the room with the other TV and connect it to the cable feeding the TV that works well. If the kitchen TV works ok on the other feed, then the problem is the feed to the kitchen TV. Why do you have so many splitters? Each 2 way splitter takes 3 dB from the signal and 4 way splitters take 6 dB from the signal. It doesn't matter if there is anything connected to the extra outputs. Since this is a problem that developed over time, the signal strength may be marginal, but enough, except that there is a bit of corrosion on a connection or even inside a splitter. I would replace any unneeded splitters with straight through connectors and see if the kitchen TV works ok. -- Rick C. - Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging - Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On 27/05/2023 22:39, micky wrote:> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but > now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the > next one. > > One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the > sound is fine. > > The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible > but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. > Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, > another splitter/amp, and a long cable, > > If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in > the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second > amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running > constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years? >Hi Micky, The TV. Try moving it to the other location to check. If there were a problem with the cable or splitter amp, you would be seeing picture and sound disturbances possibly also on other outlets. -- Adrian C
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On Sat, 27 May 2023 17:39:40 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:>All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but >now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the >next one. > >One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the >sound is fine. > >The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible >but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. >Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, >another splitter/amp, and a long cable,Kitchen TV? Why?> >If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in >the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second >amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running >constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years?Move it to another place and see.
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On Sunday, 28 May 2023 at 00:24:39 UTC+1, Adrian Caspersz wrote:> On 27/05/2023 22:39, micky wrote: > > All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but > > now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the > > next one. > > > > One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the > > sound is fine. > > > > The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible > > but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. > > Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, > > another splitter/amp, and a long cable, > > > > If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in > > the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second > > amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running > > constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years? > > > Hi Micky, > > The TV. Try moving it to the other location to check.maybe it's a massive crt set puttied into a big hole in the wall. There must be some reason he hasn't checked that already.> If there were a problem with the cable or splitter amp, you would be > seeing picture and sound disturbances possibly also on other outlets.
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On 5/27/2023 7:33 PM, John Larkin wrote:> On Sat, 27 May 2023 17:39:40 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> > wrote: > >> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but >> now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the >> next one. >> >> One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the >> sound is fine. >> >> The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible >> but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. >> Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, >> another splitter/amp, and a long cable, > > Kitchen TV? Why? > >> >> If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in >> the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second >> amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running >> constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years? > > Move it to another place and see. >Why not? Watch the news while eating breakfast for starters. Have the ball game on while cooking. You can even buy a refrigerator with one built in. https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/kitchen-flat-screen-tv/
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On 5/27/2023 5:08 PM, Ed P wrote:> Why not? Watch the news while eating breakfast for starters. Have the ball > game on while cooking. You can even buy a refrigerator with one built in.I think there is/was a microwave oven with similar "front panel". With LCD and OLED displays being so cheap, expect to find them on all sorts of "surfaces". Maybe the bathroom mirror will be a display with an out-facing camera... show folks how they will look in various lighting conditions (e.g., applying makeup -- thie is what you'll look like in the office lighting, later in the restaurant or club, etc.) With the *exception* of the bathrooms, we have one in every room (though they are technically just "displays", relying on media sourced from the home network for "content".
Reply by ●May 27, 20232023-05-27
On 5/27/2023 2:39 PM, micky wrote:> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but > now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the > next one.You've not said WHICH city or given any other indications as to the type of broadcasts.> One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the > sound is fine. > > The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible > but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. > Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, > another splitter/amp, and a long cable,"Staticy" suggests an analog broadcast.> If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in > the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second > amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running > constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years?I'd first check all the connections. A loose F-connector can have profound consequences.
Reply by ●May 28, 20232023-05-28
On Sat, 27 May 2023 20:08:11 -0400, Ed P <esp@snet.xxx> wrote:>On 5/27/2023 7:33 PM, John Larkin wrote: >> On Sat, 27 May 2023 17:39:40 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> >> wrote: >> >>> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but >>> now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the >>> next one. >>> >>> One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the >>> sound is fine. >>> >>> The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible >>> but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. >>> Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, >>> another splitter/amp, and a long cable, >> >> Kitchen TV? Why? >> >>> >>> If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in >>> the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second >>> amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running >>> constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years? >> >> Move it to another place and see. >> > >Why not? Watch the news while eating breakfast for starters. Have the >ball game on while cooking. You can even buy a refrigerator with one >built in. > >https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/kitchen-flat-screen-tv/I see fancy brochures for 40ish megabuck houses on the lake with a giant flat-screen TV on the wall in every room. If you're always watching TV, you can do that in any cheap dump.
Reply by ●May 28, 20232023-05-28
On 27/05/2023 22:39, micky wrote:> All my tv's run off a central location, which used to include cable but > now has a DVDR with an amplified antenna that brings in my city and the > next one. > > One tv is supplied a signal through a splitter/amp and a cable, and the > sound is fine. > > The kitchen tv has lately developed bad sound. Words are intelligible > but sort of staticy or distorted. Sometimes it's worse than others. > Its signal is supplied through the same splitter/amp, another splitter, > another splitter/amp, and a long cable, > > If you were a betting man, where would the most likely problem be, in > the kitchen TV (which is 20 or so years old), the cable, or that second > amp, which has been sitting on the basement floor and running > constantly, needing no attention, for 39 years?I find it hard to believe that a 20 year old TV will work at all on modern digital TV signals without a set top box interposed somewhere. My money for distorted audio would be on the audio amplifier circuit in the set. Electrolytic capacitors seldom last more than a couple of decades without degrading to some extent. Signal related problems on digital are generally of the all or nothing type due to the error correction and the image usually breaks up first. Audio tends to get short gaps in and/or ultrasonic clicks depending on the sophistication of the decoder (better ones mute bad blocks, crude ones generate intense high frequency pulses instead). -- Martin Brown
