freeview tv

A Hassle You Don’t Need To Stomach: Why Am I Dealing With Freeview TV Interference?

FreesatFreeview
Apr-2020 / 4 min read

Reading Time: 4 minutes

It’s never always nice to have bad TV reception interrupt your favourite programming. Imagine yourself waiting for a specific episode that exploits a big reveal that you just suddenly can’t watch because of weak TV signal strength or even no TV signal. Instead of a clear image, you get pixels or worse, you get the “Cliff Effect.” This is what you call the TV image when it turns grainy or snowy, and I believe we’re all totally on the same page when we say we don’t want that for us. 

It’s never the same solution and reason for every problem, as TV interference is a valid occurrence. You can never not have it, only prevent it. So the actual troubleshooting here would be to find out what’s that root of it all. The television interference you’re getting from your Freeview subscription is normal, so don’t panic. 

To add before we start, just in case you’re missing channels such as Viva or Dave, it’s probably just that you’re using the wrong transmitter for it. Do know that Freeview also offers other services such as Freeview Lite or Freeview Light. These are usually transmitted by a relay transmitter that throws signals in places that generally have low reach. Unfortunately, it only carries half the amount of channels a standard Freeview subscription can. 

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Probable Happenings Why You Have Bad Freeview Signal

Let’s break it down: digital TV works in such a way that data is transmitted as computer code. These are basically on (1s) and off (0s) commands that are transmitted to send in varying sequences. These, in turn, provide data for HD, radio, digital TV, and around 150 more other services in which some can be availed via Freeview. 

  • Signal Strength Is Not That Strong

This one is too common, and it will be obvious when this is the problem because a prompt shows up from your TV or set-top box when this is the dilemma. When this is the case, the TV would have a hard time making sense of the data being transferred for a given stream. Hence, the poor Freeview reception. Don’t worry, troubleshooting this won’t be as painstaking as you think it is. You must check all probable sources such as trying to replace cables, fly leads, wall plates, or even re-aligning your TV aerial. If these still bring up tv signal problems, try installing an amplifier or booster by the aerial to increase the signal strength. Do note this is done to overcome issues with splitters and cable lengths, nothing else. 

  • High Signal Strength

This may sound ridiculous to most, but it’s true! This is because your system has a threshold and can only take in so much, that a tv signal interference also occurs when you have a strong TV signal. Lucky you if this is the problem because this is way easier to solve than weak signal strength. First, check if you’re running any amplification that’s been causing interference on your digital tv reception. If that’s not the case, try going for installing a splitter or an attenuator or two to lessen the blow of the signal. But before you go ahead and do this, check a transmitter map of your area just in case. If you are super near one, this is probably it. 

Interference. It’s not getting more complicated than that. 

In the day and age of the wireless, there are just too many types of signals and radio frequency around in the air. Sometimes, this gets mixed up with the signal being transmitted by Freeview, thus giving you terrible TV aerial interference. The following interference causes are just some of many possible perpetrators. For example, it doesn’t matter if my aerial is installed right. I still might get TV interference in my area.

  • Interference via 4G

With the rising and fast improvement of mobile internet technology, there has since been more bandwidth to consume in the airwaves. Given that digital TV needs less bandwidth, it has since been transferred to something lower than a UHF signal because UHF is now for mobile these days. A Freeview TV reception interference or TV antenna interference may occur upon the presence of a 4G mast nearby, disrupting your television viewing. This can quickly be resolved by availing a TV interference filter that blocks out 4G signals from disrupting your aerial. 

  • Interference via neighbouring transmitters

By availing only Freeview lite, you may be experiencing interference from a weak out of area transmitter that is being only amplified. This then leads to an overload of signal on your TV. You may resolve this by availing bandpass filters or a notch filter.

  • Interference via Impulse Noise/ RF

It is innate with every electronic equipment to emit its electromagnetic field. Even though most equipment comes with suppressors, not all of them may suffice in not leading to pixelation on your television screen. These may come in the form of daily objects such as your WiFi router, a toaster, the refrigerator, or even the electrical equipment that utility workers are using outside your home. This can be resolved by keeping both things away from each other, to ease the tension between them.

There are much more issues with TV interference that we can discover. For now, the best failsafe troubleshooting we have are the methods above, and performing manual retuning on your TV.

Or maybe, it’s out of your control

Unfortunately, TV interruptions cannot always be explained away with reception and interference issues or the over-transmission or under-transmission of signal to your tv aerial and cables or set top box. Here are some other reasons as to why you may be seeing blurry tv pictures or poor sound quality;

  • Weather Changes

Weather conditions can also affect the signal a TV transmitter or a radio transmitter is sending towards your aerial system In some cases, some strong winds or torrential rain can disrupt the positioning of your satellite TV equipment. In this case, all you have to do is wait for things to go back to normal. However, if there is fine weather, you may want to check for something else. 

  • Technical Issues

Do consider that your television reception issues may not be on your end. It is  possible that even with all the signal boosters, 4G filters, and aerial amplifiers, Freeview itself is experiencing some technical difficulties. Whether it be due to their tv transmitter, distribution amplifiers, or even their broadcasting licences, all you can do is wait it out.

If you have performed the troubleshooting methods above, you may want to check out Freeview’s Troubleshooting Guide. If none of these seem to work, you may want to consider contacting a professional to help you figure everything out. I do wish you resolve your problem and hope nothing else arises, though. 

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