Freeview Channels Differ In 2 Close Houses

[Alistairsmom]

I have Freeview built in on my TV and for example cannot get the horror channel among others. My friend in the next street can get the horror channel and others that I cannot. I have tried retuning with no joy. How is it he gets nearly twice as many as me? Yet I get 3 channels of BBC from different countries? CBS also shows as present on mine but if I press to view says no signal. We both have indoor ariels.

[Buenchico]

There are several things which could be relevant here:

1. Freeview channels are transmitted in 'bundles', called 'multiplexes', with channels within a single multiplex sharing a common frequency. In theory you should have a different aerial for each multiplex in order that the elements of each aerial can exactly 'resonate' with the relevant frequency. That's clearly impractical, so we all use aerial which, inevitably, will be better at 'pulling in' some frequencies than others. So if the lengths of the elements of your aerial don't resonate as well with the frequency of a particular multiplex as those of your friend's aerial do, he'll be able to view all of the channels that are bundled within that multiplex but you'll lose all, or most, of them.

2. Some channels are transmitted using HD multiplexes (even though the output of those channels might only be in SD). In order to receive such channels you MUST have 'Freeview HD' TV or set-top box; an ordinary 'Freeview' set CAN'T receive such channels. (For example, 5USA+1, CBS Reality+1, Quest Red+1, More4+1 and Pick+1 are all SD channels but they're transmitted through an HD multiplex, so you can't receive them on a non-HD TV set). Perhaps your friend has got an HD set, whereas you've only got SD, giving him access to more channels?

3. Different makes of TV sets, and set-top boxes, have different 'sensitivities' (= the ability to 'lock onto' weak signals) and 'selectivities' (= the ability to reject interfering signals). Some TV sets can handle quite weak signals with ease, whereas with some others you haven't got a hope of being able to view a channel that only provides a weak signal. So perhaps your friend's telly is 'better' in such respects? (NB: It would be wrong to think that the most expensive sets always offfer the best sensitivities and selectivities. Quite often a £100 TV set from Asda can outperform a £1000 set from a specialist dealer in such respects).

4. There might simply be a clearer path between the transmitter and your friend's house than there is to your house. (e.g. there could be a tree, or a tall building, somewhere between your house and the transmitter that's obstructing the signal path).

5. There could be interference at your location which isn't present in your friend's house. (For example, having a router, computer, monitor or printer anywhere near to your TV set, your aerial or its cabling will make it harder for you to receive a reliable signal. Similar interference could be coming from your next-door neighbour's house too).

6. TV engineers have to ensure that the signals from TV masts don't cause interference to other services, so they're limited in the amount of output power that they can use. Their aim is always to ensure that there's a sufficiently strong signal for viewers in the relevant area who've got a good quality EXTERNAL aerial. i.e. No transmitter is EVER intended to provide a signal to an indoor aerial. Some people, who happen to live close to a transmitter, might be able to get away with using indoor aerials but they've got no right to complain if they can't because the system is only designed to be used by people with OUTDOOR aerials.

Back in the early days of TV broadcasting, there was a 'rule' which said that if you want really reliable TV reception you should always spend at least as much money on your aerial as you do on your TV set. That rule might not need to be quite so strictly applied these days but, if you want decent TV reception, you should still be prepared to invest in a good quality aerial, such as one like this https://tinyurl.com/yb4b7ukd , and pay a CAI member (and NOT just 'Joe Bloggs' down the road) to install it properly for you.

GET A DECENT AERIAL!