Can a signal amplifier help me?
09-06-04, 03:07 PM
#1
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Can a signal amplifier help me?
My cable looks like poop. Blurry, undefined, grainy, suck. Digital cable isn't an option for me right now. I saw a signal amp at Best Buy, but wasn't sure it would help. It says that it provides a 10db bump.
Last edited by DVD Josh; 09-07-04 at 10:59 AM.
09-06-04, 05:18 PM
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Probably not. If the signal is poor and all of your connections are good then I suspect it is the feed from cable. Not sure how to help you, your story is the reason I got rid of cable 7 years ago and said never again.
I do know that with Direct TV if your signal is good, adding an amplifier can actually make a signal worse.
Now for the funny story. After several service calls for your exact symptoms the cable technicians actually came into my house so I could show them the problem. After taking one look at my tv they said "well there is your problem". I said, "what?"
They said "your tv is so good you are going to notice all the noise and flaws in the picture, probably more than everyone else.
Remember this was seven years ago and the tv was (and still is) as Sony 27XBR200. It was the first of the XBR tubes made.
I do know that with Direct TV if your signal is good, adding an amplifier can actually make a signal worse.
Now for the funny story. After several service calls for your exact symptoms the cable technicians actually came into my house so I could show them the problem. After taking one look at my tv they said "well there is your problem". I said, "what?"
They said "your tv is so good you are going to notice all the noise and flaws in the picture, probably more than everyone else.
Remember this was seven years ago and the tv was (and still is) as Sony 27XBR200. It was the first of the XBR tubes made.
09-06-04, 05:40 PM
#3
Administrator
Originally posted by Brian Shannon
Remember this was seven years ago and the tv was (and still is) as Sony 27XBR200. It was the first of the XBR tubes made.
Remember this was seven years ago and the tv was (and still is) as Sony 27XBR200. It was the first of the XBR tubes made.
09-06-04, 07:11 PM
#4
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by X
It was? I bought a KV-25XBR in the early 80s.
It was? I bought a KV-25XBR in the early 80s.
I would think that it would just amplify the poor signal making the problems worse.
If you were receiving a strong signal and losing signal strength due to another reason then amplifying the good signal might help.
09-07-04, 09:32 AM
#6
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
If you're using the feed right from the wall, definitely call the cable company and make a guy come out and check it. I've had to do that at a couple places I've lived and they can usually bring it up to the correct standard. A lot of times it's just the equipment feeding it into your home. Once though at an apartment I had a great signal that went bad and they found out another tenant had tapped into my feed illegally. Either way, the problem was fixed.
If you've split the feed from a single source, an amp may help. I had to get one at one place I lived where there was only 1 wall jack in the entire place, and I had to split it for living room and bedroom. The signal degraded noticably, but with the amp before the split it was still good. Got it at Radio Shack for around $12.
If you've split the feed from a single source, an amp may help. I had to get one at one place I lived where there was only 1 wall jack in the entire place, and I had to split it for living room and bedroom. The signal degraded noticably, but with the amp before the split it was still good. Got it at Radio Shack for around $12.
09-07-04, 11:17 AM
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Most of the amps you can buy at Radioshack, Bestbuy, etc. are absolute crap. If you want a good one, get the Electroline EDA-2400XSP. This is what the cable companies use. Some of them will even install one for free if they determine you are having a problem. Otherwise, they can be had for $40-50 on eBay. They are at least 10x better than anything you will find at RS, BB, etc. Check this page for more info. Note that it is by a person that carries Electroline and other high quality cable TV products on eBay, but in my experience and that of others it is accurate info.
09-07-04, 08:38 PM
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Re: Can a signal amplifier help me?
Originally posted by DVD Josh
My cable looks like poop. Blurry, undefined, grainy, suck. Digital cable isn't an option for me right now. I saw a signal amp at Best Buy, but wasn't sure it would help. It says that it provides a 10db bump.
My cable looks like poop. Blurry, undefined, grainy, suck. Digital cable isn't an option for me right now. I saw a signal amp at Best Buy, but wasn't sure it would help. It says that it provides a 10db bump.
